


Bitterroot Resolutions

by Kirabaros



Series: Chronicles of Absolution Season 2 [7]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Drama, Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2020-01-23
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:48:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 50,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21873958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kirabaros/pseuds/Kirabaros
Summary: 2.07. Something has been making the hikers disappear from the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness area and the trio goes to hunt it. Along the way tensions build over nothing and one member of the team ends up in danger of facing exposure to the elements. Guilty feelings and a mountain rescue abound.
Series: Chronicles of Absolution Season 2 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1013514





	1. Chapter 1

_Now_

_Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, Montana_

“Why did you drag us up here Karl? You know how much I hate camping.”

Karl looked back at his best friend Mick and gave a slight roll of his eyes. His friend didn’t hate camping. He just hated the fact that they were going to be isolated in the middle of a forest with no reception and no electricity. He replied, “You don’t hate camping, Mick. You just hate the idea of being anywhere without a signal to keep up with your Facebook status. Besides you were the one that said you needed a vacation.”

“I meant somewhere that was normal like a resort,” Mick grumbled good natured. He gave a slight smile. He wasn’t really that mad with Karl for planning this trip. They had both been working their butts off and now it was time to reap the rewards.

It had been Karl’s idea to hit the Selway-Bitterroot wilderness for some good old fashioned backpacking and maybe some relaxing fun at Lake Como. They used to spend all their summers there as kids, swimming and all that good stuff. They left Darby to go to college and they came straight back. The big city life just wasn’t for them.

Mick looked at his watch and studied the trail map he had picked up. They had to leave the car behind and hike up the rest of the way towards the lake. Part of the thing regarding wilderness areas was that unless you were emergency or a ranger, no vehicles except for a horse or private tram 11, meaning your own two feet.

Hiking wasn’t that bad. In fact Mick and Karl had grown up with the sport as well as rock climbing so they could take the off trail routes if they chose. However since it had been a few years, Mick was the one that pointed out that they should start slow. Karl readily agreed though it was evident that he would rather do this hardcore.

They also were prepared but Mick was not in the mood to get in a tangle with a moose, elk or bear. While he and Karl knew about how to handle scaring bears off and all that stuff, it just wasn’t worth it. Mick took out his bottle of water and took a sip. They had come pretty far and from the looks of things, they were pretty deep into the wilderness. “I guess coming here was a pretty good idea right Karl?”

There was only silence and Mick turned around. All he saw was Karl’s backpack where he had placed it when they decided to stop for a rest. Karl was nowhere in sight. Mick looked around and Karl was nowhere in sight. At first he thought his friend was playing a joke on him. He knew Karl liked to rattle his cage with the scare tactics. He called out, “Alright Karl, play time is over. I know you are out there somewhere. We gotta get going if we are going to make it to the lake.”

There was still no response and Mick became exasperated. He put his pack down and began looking around. There was still snow on the ground so that made it easy to track Karl’s boot prints. They were leading away from their rest spot and Mick figured that he was answering nature’s call. He followed them until they were a fair distance away from the rest point. Mick was beginning to think that Karl was really going to town on spooking him.

Annoyed with the whole thing, Mick finally said, “Karl this isn’t funny anymore. Come on. I wanted a vacation, not one of your stupid scare fests.”

Mick sat on a boulder to think and let Karl decide not to be an ass anymore. He pulled out a granola bar since he was hungry. From behind him, he heard a thump and then something hit him on the sleeve. It was small enough to be a pebble or something. Frowning he picked it up and asked, “So now you’re throwing stuff at me?”

Upon examination, Mick felt like he was going to lose his lunch. He held what appeared to be a human eye and freshly removed from… Karl’s face. Mick stared at it and felt the fear settle in his bones. He held the eye in his hand not sure what to do until he heard a low growl from behind him. Mick slowly turned around and what he saw… Mick gave out a loud scream at the sight.

The trail was no longer a viable point as Mick ran blindly through the woods. He was headed in the right direction that would take him out of the wilderness area but he didn’t know how far away he was. For all he knew, he could be running in circles. He just couldn’t believe there was such a thing as that. And the thing ate Karl or killed him!

As it turned out, Mick had been running in circles. He ended up in a clearing but it wasn’t the rest point that he and Karl had picked out when they planned their trip. He could make out decayed debris from… dead bodies. There bones and broken branches, ripped clothing… it was like he stumbled onto someone’s feeding grounds.

A thump sounded from behind him and Mick turned. He screamed again and tried to run. Something hit him from behind on his lower back and he heard bones crack. He collapsed on the ground. He couldn’t move his legs but he could move his upper body. Using his arms, he tried to crawl away. He had to get away from that thing.

Suddenly there appeared two legs in front of him. Mick looked up to see the beast again. How could that thing move so fast? That question wasn’t about to be answered when something jumped on his back. Mick whimpered in fear as he felt the hot air on the back of his neck and the wet feeling of drool. Then there was this horrible pain erupting throughout his entire body and he screamed. He screamed until there was nothing left to scream and he faced oblivion.

****

“So I was thinking that if headed west we might find a job out that way and maybe follow that lead Bobby found…” Dean stopped his talking while eating to stare at his younger brother. It was a sure sign that something was up when Sam didn’t comment on his poor eating habits or some crap about not talking with your mouth full.

Right now Dean was seeing Sam at his full brooding emo bitchiness and he was at a loss as to what had Sam in a funk. In fact come to think of it, ever since they got back to normal size, Sam had been in a funk. It worried Dean that it might have something to do with the head injury that Angela did an impressive mojo job over and left only a bump on the head. He knew that supernatural means of healing had consequences.

Hell, Angela crashed and burned after they got back to the house. She held up long enough to see to it that Sam and he were taken care of. She fixed the fracture in his nose. Then she pretty much collapsed. She slept like the dead all night and then gorged herself on fruit and toast and a pound cake that she had shown Bobby how to make.

Studying his brother, Dean figured there was something more to it but the only way he was ever going to find out was to get to the bottom of it. He waved his hand in front of Sam’s face and then snapped his fingers, “Hey Sam. Are you here on earth or somewhere in la-la land? I’m trying to give a plan here.”

Sam didn’t appreciate the hand waving and snapping in his face. As far as he was concerned, he didn’t care where Dean wanted to go. The Impala was Dean’s car and he picked where they were to go and he picked the music which was guaranteed to make the both of them deaf before they were old and senile. He didn’t move his eyes away from what he was staring at but he replied, “Do whatever you want Dean. Find us a job or something.”

Dean made a slight face as if to make a retort when he shifted in his seat and twisted to flag down the hot waitress for some more coffee. He needed a fresh cup and black before dealing with the bitch princess. He then saw something and then glanced back at Sam who was ignoring him completely and then back again.

What Sam was staring at was Angela. She was outside the diner chatting very animatedly on her cell phone. With whom, Dean didn’t care at this point since it was most likely she was saying hi to an old friend or following up on a lead to see when her date was to plead his case. He had less than half a year left and he was getting the feeling that they were trying to make her sweat this… at least a few of the gods. He wasn’t about to diss the two goddesses that seemed to back her up along with Feather Boy.

Dean looked at his little brother and saw the eyes narrowed slightly as they continued to watch her. It began to dawn on Dean what was happening and he figured that it had something to do with that warlock that fixed their size problem. He said, “Coffee’s getting cold.”

Sam said nothing but picked up his mug and took a sip. He continued to watch Angela and he finally said, “That’s the second time this week she’s called.”

“Called who Sam? She’s got a long list.”

“Him.”

“Him who?”

“The warlock.”

Dean was certain that he was witnessing a jealousy spat and his brother didn’t even know what that was. Dean could admit that he had a jealousy streak when he had been shrunken to a ten year old but in the end, he liked the guy and he did come through with those nifty witch powers of tossing demon ass out the window. Plus, he fixed Angela up pretty good with the stab wounds and her bullet injury. He tried to hide a grin as he offered, “Maybe she is on a lead to a case or for my deal.”

Sam looked at Dean with a look. “She has a solution and she won’t do a crossroad deal.”

“It’s possible Sam since she knows more than us about alternatives means. Besides they are just friends and maybe she feels more comfortable talking to him. Granted they are what… four hundred years apart?”

“And you think that she would confide more in a stranger than she would with us? Dean we’ve had each other’s backs since we hooked up.”

Dean was sure that it was a jealousy spat Sam was going through. Sam may put it as this whole trusting a stranger thing but Dean knew that the caring for their Chaser friend extended deeper than the feelings even he had for family. His brother may be a genius but he sure was dumb about practical things. “So? There’s no law saying that she can’t make a few new friends or better yet contacts. Let’s face it Sam, how many times has one of her contacts come through for us?”

Sam was saved from answering when Angela came in with a slight smile and said, “Well the boredom is over. I believe I may have found us a case.” She slid into the booth next to Sam as was per her habit and picked up a cup and held it out for the waitress to fill.

Once it was full of steaming hot coffee, she did that thing that always made Dean nervous and stuck her finger in the hot liquid and swirled it around a bit. Her finger came out relatively unscarred but that didn’t mean that it was completely okay with him. He waited until she took a gulp of the hot liquid black before saying, “Okay, so spill. What is it? Vengeful spirit? Demons? The usual?” He gave a teasing grin since what he listed was the usual.

Angela returned the grin with a slight burst of laughter. She replied, “Definitely the usual. That is if you count missing hikers spiking up.”

Dean glanced at Sam who was still brooding. He couldn’t give a look without her noticing though and he didn’t want to get into a fuss this early in the day though it was going to be probable. He looked back at Angela and replied, “So you’re thinking wendigo?”

“Maybe. Could be Bigfoot.”

Dean knew she was teasing and teased back, “Now that’s stupid Angie. You know Bigfoot doesn’t exist. Seriously though, is it a wendigo?”

“Not sure. My contact said that over the past few weeks hikers have gone missing and were never found again. However there have been some remains and rather bloody ones. They managed to identify one hiker and that was from his finger.”

“His finger?”

“Tattoo on the ring finger,” Angela rubbed her own ring finger to emphasize the point. “It sounds like a wendigo but the idea of remains… also the location…”

“Any caves around?” Dean asked. He was intrigued. They could use something that fit a profile but didn’t quite. The unusual was probably what they needed to get Sam out of his funk and back to normal… more or less.

“The disappearances have been occurring in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness area in the Rockies. Most hikers were heading to Lake Como but it is a bit unusual since there still snow in the area,” Angela replied frowning. She absently took another gulp of coffee.

“What else?” Sam managed to ask.

“Meeting us at Darby, Montana.”

“So it takes forty-five minutes to get all that?”

Dean gave a warning look to Sam. Now was not the time to get into her personal business. Of course Sam was not going to listen to him. He could only hope that Angela didn’t take it the wrong way and cause that uncomfortable silence she could maintain indefinitely if she was bothered or miffed by something.

Angela looked at Sam with a puzzled frown and replied, “Not all of it was asking about a job. There is such a thing as polite conversation.”

“So what did you talk about?” Sam looked back at Angela. He tried to keep his voice even as he asked it since he knew that she could become like an obstinate mule and refuse to budge when she had her back against a wall. He knew that his disguised tone was thinly veiled and she would probably sniff that out but he didn’t care.

“I don’t think I want to tell you since it was personal,” Angela replied frowning in suspicion.

“You know what, let’s just pay and book. I’m anxious for another job,” Dean cut in recognizing the signs of a potential argument and not the friendly kind.

“Fine, just making sure that you’re not in trouble,” Sam replied. He then added in a mutter, “Since you seem to be spending quite a bit of time being a chatter bug.”

Angela was still frowning as she tossed a couple of dollar bills on the table for the waitress. What was up with Sam? She didn’t get it and she was wondering why he was taking a sudden interest in what she did in her own time. She replied, “I don’t know what planet you were born on but where I come from it is considered polite to bring up personal things when engaging in a conversation before getting down to business. That’s what friends do when they haven’t seen each other in a while.” She peered at Sam wondering if he was getting what she was saying.

To Dean it would have been funny under different circumstances but even he knew that Sam was not going to let this go so easily. His brother was going to bide his time until he was placed in a situation where he didn’t have Dean around to interrupt and it wasn’t a too public place. He thought Sam was making too big a deal out of this whole thing and who she was talking to. Hell he didn’t know if it was Nick that she was talking to.

As far as Dean was concerned, if she was attracted to the warlock then that was fine with him. It’s not like Sam was doing anything about it except coming up with ways to piss her off and waiting until he had the chance to. His baby brother was a bit of a bonehead at times besides being a dumb genius. Maybe going out with a warlock would put perspective on where she stood with Sam and where he stood with her. He was no expert on long term relationships or supernatural ones but he did get the basics of chemistry and all that good crap.

Sam had gotten up at that moment and was still in a sour mood. However he managed to put on a more cheery disposition but to a trained observer it was easy to see that it was like seeing a person sucking on a really sour lemon. He replied, “Fine. Do whatever.”

They were outside of the diner by that point and Angela was not sure if someone fed Sam a bad batch of a short stack. The coffee was even decent for an out of the way diner. Something else was up and she was clueless as to why. One thing she did know though was that she was annoyed with the attitude and she let it be known, “Alright. Just make sure to take the stick out of your ass by the time we get to Darby.” She then proceeded to the Impala and got in her customary seat in the back with a look of infinite patience.

Dean said nothing but made a slight motion with his eyes. This was going to be a long trip to… Dean got in and turned on the engine. As luck would have it, AC/DC’s Highway to Hell was playing. It certainly was going to feel like that and then some.

****

“Glad that you could come. When I figured that something was us with the missing hikers, I guessed that this was your territory so I gave you call.”

“You did right George. Sounds like it’s right up our alley,” Angela replied as she took a bite of the steak dinner that Ranger Georgia Wilkes ordered for her. She really wasn’t all that hungry but since her friend was buying and Dean was not one to pass up on a free meal, she made the most of it.

What really had her disconcerted was the fact that Sam was treating her conversation with Georgia with suspicion. It’s not like she was trying to coordinate a drug deal or something though she did have a run in with a Columbian drug cartel a few decades back. That was a story she would rather not tell. No something was up and she wanted to know if there was a problem or something she did that had Sam watching her like a hawk. Did he think she was starting to go dark side?

It would have been a funny moment to see Sam’s reaction to the fact that Georgia was a normal human who just happened to had gotten in a tangle with a nasty werewolf before she rescued her. Given the circumstances though, it was hardly amusing and Angela was beginning to feel that this hunt was going to be more of a chore than the fun of the job. At least Georgia was circumspect and didn’t say anything about the false smile she put on for her benefit.

Dean could tell that this was going to be a long hunt. He didn’t mean long in tracking down the thing and then killing it. He was figuring how long Sam was going to be an ass before he realized that he was making her miserable and hurt and she didn’t even know if she did anything wrong. The conversation hadn’t been much over dinner and while it was filling, it was hardly enjoyable even if it was a steak dinner.

Deciding to put the ball in a friendlier court, Dean looked at Ranger Wilkes and asked, “So if hikers go missing, why isn’t the forest service doing anything about it?”

“Try organizing a manhunt for a bear. The one body we did find was presumed to be the result of a bear mauling and the thing ate it,” Georgia replied.

“But you don’t think so?” Dean felt uncomfortable playing Sam’s part in asking for the details but from the look of things he wasn’t going to get much cooperation from his brother. It certainly didn’t help that Angela was texting on her phone and checking messages. They were probably harmless or related to a case but from where Dean was sitting, that didn’t seem that way to Sam.

“No,” Georgia replied. She studied the trio as she took a sip of the tea she had ordered. She was on duty that night so she needed to stay dry. She had been keeping track of the missing hikers. Most of the time they went off trail only to come back a little malnourished and haggard while a few did end up dying from exposure and the like. However with the number increasing and then finding those remains… not to mention the one survivor… this had definitely been a job for the one person who saved her.

Seeing the three of them together, Georgia was under the impression that something was amiss between them. The shorter of the boys with the spikey hair wasn’t the problem but his tall brother had been brooding all evening and would often look when her friend checked her phone messages. She had seen that look before but she wasn’t going to touch that now. She looked at Dean and replied, “We’ve had maulings before and they really aren’t a pretty sight. Besides there was one survivor and he’s rambling at the moment.”

“Do you think that maybe we could get in to talk to him?” Angela asked the question after checking a message from Bobby. She tried to ignore the look that Sam was shooting her and focused on the case. She toyed with her food. She had barely gotten through half of it.

Georgia looked at her friend. “I could arrange that. I assume you will have the usual cover?”

Dean looked over at Angela, “She knows our methods?”

“I know Angie’s methods. It’s how I met her,” Georgia supplied. “My dad was a ranger and there was a series of killings here in Darby. People showed up dead with their hearts missing. I would have been next if it hadn’t been for the virago here.” She motioned towards Angela with a slight teasing smile, a little perturbed that her friend decided to put her attention in her food.

“Virago?”

“Wrathful woman,” Sam supplied in a monotone.

Dean gave his brother an elbow. Angela took up a small piece of steak and examined it. She then added, “It’s my nickname for the wrath I gave the werewolf that would have killed Georgia and she was only ten.”

Georgia could see that Dean was being caught in the middle of whatever was happening. She might as well finish giving the particulars and let them go do their thing. She replied, “That was a terrifying experience. I’m just lucky that the scar wasn’t as bad.”

“Did it bite you?”

Georgia shot Dean a look, “No. It scratched me on the face. Then it was prepared to bite me but Angie stepped in and…”

“Did what was necessary and that’s all she wrote,” Angela interrupted standing up quickly. She fished out a few bills for tip saying, “Georgia, thanks for the basics, we’ll get started on it and I’ll let you know what is going on. Thanks for dinner.” She then took a hasty exit after downing the beer she had ordered.

Dean sighed and nudged his brother to get up. He looked at Georgia and apologized, “Sorry about that but rest assured we’ll do our job and you won’t have any more problems with missing hikers turning up with body parts. Let’s go Sam.”

Georgia watched as they followed Angela out of the steakhouse. Something was definitely up. She fished into her pants for her wallet.

“Everything going alright G?” The waitress asked the question as she started clearing the table.

“Hope so,” Georgia replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are at the start of a new adventure and it looks like a wendigo, but not quite. Also seems like someone got a visit from the green-eyed monster. Stay tuned for more.


	2. Chapter 2

“So are you going to get with the program or are you going to act like an ass all night?”

“Bite me jerk.”

Dean knew that everyone was in a foul mood. It didn’t help that Sam muttered something in the car on the way to the motel and Angela had to pick up on that. Any other time he would have teased her about her hearing. This time though he actively cursed it since it seemed that she was selectively using it just to put herself in a bad mood.

She was already in the car and she was listening to her iPod. Dean recognized it as one of the ways she used to ignore things that bothered her. She didn’t even acknowledge them when they got in but rather angled her body so she wasn’t looking in the direction of mostly Sam. Dean concluded that whatever looks Sam shot her or comments he said was really bothering her.

It was a short drive to the motel but in that span of time, Angela got a text message. She became a bit animated when she saw who sent it and said, “Oh, good.”

To Dean it was an offhand comment that didn’t mean anything. In fact Sam shouldn’t have been offended by it. Dean was wrong however and Sam muttered in a sarcastic tone, “More privacy for whatever.”

The scary thing was that Angela didn’t react but Dean knew she heard it. He could see her in the rearview mirror and the look that she shot at the back of Sam’s head… Dean knew that she was extremely annoyed at what was eating Sam. She also didn’t understand why he was taking a sudden interest in her phone calls and text messages. As far as Dean knew, she was doing last minute things for the hearing or she was looking up other things of interest. She did have a life outside of hunting.

To Dean one didn’t live five hundred years on the job without picking up a few acquaintances and friends along the way. True that it would have been painful to see them live out their lifespan if they were human and Dean couldn’t imagine the emotional and mental toll. As far as he was concerned, if she wanted to play catch up, that was her right. She didn’t need him or Sam watching her every step and become the police on her.

The drive became very quiet until they pulled up into the motel. Dean and Angela got the rooms and Dean couldn’t blame her if she didn’t want to be stuck in the car with Sam at the moment. He was assured that they were on the same row of rooms but he found it disturbing that she requested the opposite end. Dean could tell she was really upset and it showed when they were retrieving their gear. She literally threw Sam’s stuff at him before grabbing hers saying, “Getting sloppy on your laundry.”

It wasn’t hard to see that she was implying that she could smell dirty clothes. Only this time it wasn’t playful. Sam’s reaction was to say, “And I’m sure you can tell the difference between dirt and soap.”

When she was more than halfway towards the room, Sam added, “Don’t forget to text,” which was met with a slamming of the door.

That was what had both Dean and Sam in their room with Dean trying to get to the root of the problem. He replied to Sam’s retort, “I’d rather have Angie bite you and she’s got sharper teeth than mine.”

Sam said nothing at first as he got his clothes out for the night. Then he said, “Yeah and watch her go vamp on somebody else.”

“Is that what your problem is?” Dean looked at his brother. When he didn’t get a response, he put his hand on his brother’s shoulder, “Sam…”

“You and Angie act like it’s not a big deal that she vamps out like that,” Sam turned to face his brother. It wasn’t the whole truth but it was something that had been bothering him since he was the one that got a full on look at what she looked like.

“I know it’s a big deal Sam,” Dean replied. He could sense that was not the whole story but then again the other part was more likely a messed up thing that Sam couldn’t straighten out in his head. At least part of the problem could be put to bed but in the end Sam was going to have to talk it out with her and he was going to be safely in a bar somewhere when that happened. “You forget I saw her vamped out and when she gets going, she goes for the kill.”

“Like a beast.”

“Sam she’s a hunter just like you and me and like us she has her own problems.”

“So you’re saying that making a joke out of the fact that douchebag Venator was one of many that wanted to kill her is a normal problem? Hell even Bobby thinks that it’s a relief from hell bitches like Lenya.” Sam looked at Dean, challenging him to really think about the past few days of being kid sized with adult problems.

“No,” Dean admitted. He could admit that the cavalier attitude she assumed when another crazy or demon threatened her was more like what he would do. At least he eventually admitted how scared he was. With Angela it took something like a near death experience to get her to admit something. “Bobby said that physically threatening her was a relief for her?”

“Must be. Haven’t you seen the look she gets when it’s a pure physical fight? She looks happy and she’s the kind to avoid a fight.”

“So you’re acting like an ass because you think she may go dark side? That’s pretty stupid since it would be a cold day in hell literally if she did that. Besides if that were the case you wouldn’t be throwing her dirty looks every time she got a phone call or a text message. You’re not her bodyguard Sam and neither am I. We’re partners.”

That was the most reasonable Dean had ever gotten in a conversation. For someone who was adverse to chick flick moments, he could be a ‘soul of understanding’ if needs to be. He just did it in his own way. He also had the feeling that it was a bunch of stuff that had Sam in knots and he knew that lately she hadn’t been too forthcoming about her extracurricular activities and she actually shot one of Sam’s ideas down and not too gently. “Or are you pissed because she shot you down on your idea about breaking my deal?”

Sam had enough of this conversation. He really didn’t know what the problem was but he certainly could latch onto the little things; the things that he and Dean never used to bother about before. Plus the whole deal thing. He clammed up and replied, “You know what… forget. I’m crashing.”

Dean could tell that Sam meant it when his brother disappeared into the bathroom. It was not even eight and his brother was hitting the sack. Usually on a job he would crack open the laptop and read over the notes they made and that was the first thing. Something really was getting his brothers boxers in a twist. Angela’s extreme vamping out was just the tip of the iceberg or it could be that it had nothing to do with the reason why his baby brother was treating the girl he was attracted to and didn’t know it like she was a leper.

Dean stifled the urge to continue this conversation since it would probably end up in an argument like the one he and Sam had over using the Colt on the crossroads demon. That hadn’t been pleasant and he figured that contributed to the depression she had been in until her birthday. He told Sam to drop it even though they all knew she was appealing to higher powers and he did notice that Sam’s kicked puppy look didn’t work on her when she shot him down. It seemed that a lot was on the table and it was a mess.

Dean decided that a walk would work and he surprised himself by thinking that. Usually it was Sam that needed the walks to think about things. He made a slight snort as he booked, making sure that he took his set of keys to the room and hoped that Sam would be in a better mood when he got back or in the morning… whichever was the one that was going to work.

****

The air was chilly but the cold was the least of Angela’s worries. She just couldn’t understand why Sam was treating her like a leper and seemed intent on pissing her off. At first she thought he was having issues with her vamping out going after the Venator and she admitted that maybe she should have at least talked to the boys about that afterwards but then getting back into the hunting game took precedence.

Of course it could be that she rejected Sam’s proposal in going after a crossroads demon and threaten them with the Colt. Like that was going to work. She flat out refused on the spot. Not even Sam’s kicked puppy look would change that. Besides anything like that was considered welching or weaseling and that meant that if they tried, Sam was dead as a doornail.

Sam knew that since Dean shouted that truth out to him eventually. Did Sam think that she had all the answers? She realized that she may have gotten their hopes up with the whole hearing that had yet to be decided upon. That was because Ruby was right. It was a fool’s dream to think that they would consider reversing it and she hated to admit that Ruby was right twice in a row that only two appeals were heard and granted and she knew one.

One of the appeals granted was for her own life. That was when she first died from a fatal stab wound to the back. She never gave the details but it was eerily similar to what Jake Talley did to Sam. Her spine had been severed and she bled out. She was brought back after her father appealed to the higher powers and he gave the price, his life for hers. Funny thing was that it was like when John gave his life for Dean’s since her father dropped dead after giving her his blood. Maybe that was why she ended up agreeing to help John with that.

“You know staring at the screen like that will make people think you are a zombie.”

Angela turned her attention to the screen where she was having a conversation with Akira. She was sitting out in the cold with minimal protection from the elements on top of the Impala with her computer pad. Since Sam was in a funk about her using the phone, she would use a webcam. She replied, “Zombies aren’t real.”

“I would rethink that since a certain set of brothers tangled with one before you three hooked up.”

“Whatever.”

“What’s gotten into you? You would usually make a comeback of some sort.”

“Not in the mood. I feel like a brooding emo and feel like a leper.”

“Oh. Another fight?”

“I don’t know. I’ve been known to carry a grudge before but this is ridiculous. Dumbass Sasquatch knows the score.”

“Oh. Well that explains things. You wanna talk about it?

“Not really. You know, I’m sorry that I bothered you Princess. I’ll just go now. Tell Fang Boy that I send my regards.” Angela then turned off the webcam and put her computer pad on the hood. She brought her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them. She knew that Akira wouldn’t hold anything against her for being abrupt like that.

“You know the temperature’s near freezing out here?”

Angela turned to look at Dean who was holding a cup of hot coffee, well two. She gave a soft smile and replied, “Is it? I didn’t notice.”

Dean had noticed her sitting on the Impala per her usual habit and she was playing with that computer pad thing of hers when he started for his walk. He could feel the chill in the air and tightened his coat around him. He figured grabbing something hot like coffee and at the spur of the moment decided to get her a cup too. Maybe she might talk about her hurt feelings and while he wasn’t particularly thrilled to be in a chick flick moment, he could do that for her.

When he bought the drinks, he had a grin on his face and he hoped that she would like it. He found her still sitting on the Impala, deep in thought. It was then he asked her about her sitting in the cold temperatures. In response to her reply, he held out a cup, “Need something to warm you up?”

Angela smiled as she took the cup. She could feel the heat radiate into her fingers. It was super hot but then again maybe it would be a welcome pain since she felt miserable. She blew into the drink hole for Dean’s benefit since it was still freaky that she could stir hot coffee and not get burned. She then took a sip and the taste had her feel like her senses exploded. She looked at Dean and asked, “Hot chocolate?”

Dean grinned at her as he watched the smile form. He figured that something other than coffee would lighten her mood. He replied, “Isn’t that what girls like you want when you have a bad day?”

Angela gave a slight chuckle. “I would have expected a pound of chocolates, French truffles.” When she saw the look on Dean’s face, she couldn’t help but laugh. She knew that they didn’t have money for expensive things like that but she couldn’t help but tease them with things she had long before she met them. It was a sweet gesture on Dean’s part though and she let it be known, “But hot chocolate is just as good. Thank you.” She rewarded Dean with a kiss on the cheek.

The kiss surprised Dean. He was expecting her to pinch his cheek or ruffle his hair. He countered though by replying, “Christo.” He looked at her and then added, “Hey I was expecting the cheek pinch. Don’t tell me you’re growing soft on me.”

Angela smiled and replied, “I won’t grow soft on you Dean. I just need to express myself and what better way to do it than with someone who avoids chick flick moments like the plague.” She adjusted her smile to let Dean know that she was teasing him. She took another sip of the hot chocolate. “Nice and hot.”

“Figured you would need it since it’s freezing out here,” Dean replied with a slight shrug, glad that his hands were being warmed by his drink.

“The cold won’t bother me unless I’m out here overnight with no backup,” Angela replied.

“How do you know that?” Dean was curious. She dressed like him and Sam but sometimes her choice to wear tank tops in the middle of winter was mind baffling. “You got a high tolerance to a walk in freezer?”

Angela gave a wry smile as she slightly rolled her eyes. “Not exactly.” She put her cup down on the hood beside her where it wouldn’t spill. She twisted so that she was sitting cross legged and facing Dean. “Don’t go to the gutter Dean but I want you to touch my face.”

“What?” Dean nearly spat out his drink when she made her request. He had every right to say the words again since she really didn’t let people touch her like that unless she didn’t think about it or she had an injury that needed tending to. “Did you just say…?”

“For you to understand what I am about to tell you, I need you to touch my face. If it makes you feel better, you can do that feeling the forehead,” Angela explained. She then straightened out and waited for him to touch her. When he didn’t move, she made a slight click with her tongue and took his wrist gently and guided his hand so that his fingers brushed her cheek.

Dean realized that she was being serious when she took his hand and placed it so his fingers brushed her cheek. He then took the hint and on his own volition moved his hand to place his palm on her cheek. What he discovered surprised him. “You’re… warm.”

Angela felt the coolness from Dean’s hand and it felt nice. She could also feel the cool breeze blow through. She smiled at Dean’s assessment and replied, “And there’s the secret. I have a higher than average human’s core body temperature. If I were to have my temperature taken, the doc would think that I have a fever.”

Dean continued to touch her face feeling the heat radiating from her. It was puzzling but just another thing that was her. Freakishly cool powers, vamp genes and being a walking hot water bottle was fine with him. Realizing though that his touch was close to being intimate, he removed his hand but slowly so that she wouldn’t mistake it as rejection. He tempered it by saying, “So this cold doesn’t bother you?”

“No because eventually I’ll have control of my environment. If I stay out all night and for prolonged periods of time, I could get hypothermia. My body is human after all and it does respond to stimuli accordingly.”

“So if you stayed out all night without a blanket or someplace warm nearby, you could be in trouble?”

“Yep and it could be worse if I were to be injured,” Angela replied nodding.

“So that’s why you like running around in rainstorms in tank tops. Just controlling your body heat,” Dean replied with a grin as he leaned against his baby.

“Pretty much,” Angela replied. She felt better now. “Took me years to figure out my limits… Sort of like what I can do to help you and…”

Dean knew where this was going. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know what his chances were really but he could tell that was on her mind and would probably nag her. He swallowed a gulp of his drink and asked, “You hear from them?”

“No, but I am beginning to have doubts.”

“You did say that it was a long shot when you first told me,” Dean acknowledged. He looked down at the ground before looking at her and asking, “So is it really that bad?”

“In the history of appeals for circumstances like yours, there have only been two that have been granted. You’re looking at one of them and it involved something that is… a bit sensitive.” Angela looked down at her lap not sure of what else to say but then it occurred to her to tell him the truth about the laws of the natural order and what the cost had been for her to be there today. She continued, “For me to come back, it was a life for a life. The truth be told, I’m not sure there is any way around that.”

Dean may not be a college guy but he was smart enough to see between the lines. If she was suggesting what he thought she was, she had another thing coming. He replied, “Then we muddle through. Plead your case and see what they say. Just don’t you dare go making bargains with them. It was bad enough that you lost your vamp half for thirty six hours… Don’t trade your life for mine.” Dean looked at her. He knew that she died once since she admitted it but never went into details and he wasn’t going to make her. “What brought this up?”

“I think Sam is pissed that I turned him down to help on his end. He brought up the crossroads demon thing again,” Angela replied as she readjusted her position. Right now a gulp of hot chocolate seemed like a good idea.

“He’s just being a drama bitch again.”

“I don’t know Dean. Did I do something?” Angela looked towards Dean as if he had all the answers behind his brother’s attitude. He would since she assumed siblings knew each other very well. She hoped he would give some sort of answer.

 _Probably shown an interest in a guy and he can’t stand it_ , Dean thought to himself. He replied, “No. You know Sam. When he thinks someone looks at you the wrong way, he feels he has to pick a fight and that’s only because you’re a friend and shouldn’t be treated that way.”

Angela thought about it. It was true about that and the same could be said for Dean if things got way out of hand. If that was the case then maybe… Then again she blew him off on the one thing that was important to him. There was much to think about. “I suppose. So… do you have any ideas on what we are hunting?”

Dean couldn’t help but chuckle. Angela was so much like him when she was ready to change a subject. It was a sign that she would think about it but now it was time to get on the job. “Well your ranger friend mentioned bear maulings…” Little did Dean know that someone had been watching the whole conversation and it had not been interpreted in a pleasant manner.

****

Ranger Todd Jennings sighed as he got out of his jeep. It was his night to check this area just to make sure that people respected the wilderness areas and all the conservation laws and the like. He would be the first to admit that he loved being a ranger but some days it felt like he was being a babysitting service for people who didn’t respect the rules of the park especially when they tried to circumvent them.

Night patrol was a little bit better and with the sudden increase of the sightings of abnormally large bears on the loose, it indicated the possibility of some excitement. Right now he was checking out a popular hangout for the local kids who hid there and did whatever the things they did nowadays. He really didn’t want to know.

Holding his flashlight, Jennings walked through the section looking for any signs of trouble or anything out of place. He circled around once and found nothing. Since there was nothing left to do, he headed back towards the trail where the jeep was. Since it was park business, his vehicle was allowed on the access ways.

While he was walking back, he heard a rustling sound. Jennings paused and looked around. It could be that there were kids out having a good time at his expense. The thing was he couldn’t hear the usual jitters and the giggles. In fact there was another rustling sound and Jennings knew that it wasn’t kids but something else. He put his hand slowly on his gun while he headed towards the sound of the rustling. For all he knew it could be a bear, maybe the bear that has been accused of killing the hikers. If that was the case, he had to be careful.

He approached the shrubbery and pulled out his gun. He pointed it went suddenly and elk came out. It was rather small but it was harmless. Jennings smirked and turned away. He walked towards his jeep and contacted on his radio, “George, I finished my patrol. I’m heading back.”

_See you in thirty._

Jennings smiled as he put the radio away. He was about to get in when he heard a loud thump and a slight growl. He turned thinking he might have come across a bear. He was prepared to ward it off when he saw… All that came out was a scream.


	3. Chapter 3

_Morning has broken, like the first morning…_

Dean grinned while his eyes were closed as he started to wake up. To him she sounded pretty happy. He figured she must be since she was singing a hymn sung in church for her morning wake up call. He glanced over to where his brother was sleeping. Sam was starting to wake up and Dean hoped that he was in a better mood than yesterday.

_Praise for the singing, praise for the morning, praise for them springing fresh from the word…_

Dean sprung out of bed to open the door, thinking that she was bringing in coffee per her usual habit. As soon as he opened the door and peered out, he saw Angela walking down the hall. She was dressed in a tank and flannel pants and she was carrying something in one arm and reading something in the other. Her hair was swept back into an artfully messy ponytail with the curls going the way they wanted to.

Dean frowned since he had never really seen her in anything so… He had no idea what to describe it but she looked good and she didn’t seem to mind showing off her tattoo. He checked on his brother who actually went back to sleep before jogging to catch up with Angela. “Hey Angie.”

Angela looked up from the report that had been given to her that morning from Georgia who was on her way home. She adjusted her hold on the bucket of ice she had collected and turned to see Dean jogging towards her in a t-shirt and sweatpants. She raised a brow in surprise but smiled, “Wow you’re up early Dean.”

Dean grinned, “What can I say, a pretty singing voice woke me.”

Angela couldn’t help but laugh. “Flatterer.”

Dean feigned mock hurt, “You wound me, Angie.” He spotted the ice bin and the folder she was holding. “Well I’m guessing the ice bucket is for your thing you told me about. What is that?”

Angela continued to smile knowing that Dean was trying not to insult her about her body temp thing. She replied, “You would be right on the ice. I have a thing for going through a whole bucket when I do a read through. This is a file. George brought it by this morning. Apparently one of the rangers was attacked while on patrol last night. They found his body this morning.”

“Saying it’s another bear attack?”

“What else are they going to say?” Angela replied with a slight shrug. “What I find unusual is that this one had more remains. I would like to check it out for myself. I was going to go down there and poke around.”

“Sounds good,” Dean replied as he took the file and thumbed through it. “Does your friend have anything on the other attacks?”

“She can give us what we need if you ask. George is pretty good at getting info since she is in charge of her unit and she was put on the case of the bear attacks. You can hold onto that and you might want to look the part of a specialist or something.” Angela grinned as she eyed Dean up and down. “I seriously doubt that outfit would be taken seriously by the forestry service.”

“Very funny Angie,” Dean replied. “Maybe I’ll do the heavy lifting today and get you coffee today.”

“Coffee? Getting two drinks in a row? Maybe I should be the one saying Christo,” Angela replied. “Just for that, you get a nice show of my tattoo as I go into my room and shut the door.” She smiled and turned around to give Dean a good view of her tattoo since her straps were thin ones and went into her room.

Dean chuckled as he got a look at her tattoo. “You’ll get your coffee Angie.” He chuckled as he went back to the room. He found Sam still asleep and decided against his usual means of waking him up. Instead he picked out his clothes for the day and went to take a shower.

About forty-five minutes later Dean was knocking on her door with three cups of coffee and a box of doughnuts. When she opened the door, she was dressed like a detective wearing comfortable black pants with a white button down unbuttoned near the neck and a black blazer. She smiled and said, “I am definitely impressed. Coffee and doughnuts… police food.”

Dean nearly lost it at the face she made. He couldn’t help but laugh along with her. That was the state of things when Sam came out of his and Dean’s room dressed identical to his brother in jeans, t-shirts and jackets. Dean and Angela were laughing when she spotted him and said to Sam, “Look police food.” She gave a slight smile trying to be cute and hopefully elicit at least a smile and a chuckle would have been a bonus.

Sam was feeling a bit better when he woke up and thought that maybe he could find a moment to apologize. He was a bit disconcerted to find that Dean was already up and gone. For a split second he thought that his brother was still pissed at him. That was put to bed when he heard laughter down the hall and he emerged dressed for some investigating and he found them laughing.

He had seen his brother and Angela laughing and talking before but it was like they were sharing something that he wasn’t privy to. He quickly dispelled the emotion that arose and managed a slight smile. He replied, “But you’ll never look like one.”

“Good genes,” Angela replied. It was something but she didn’t quite like the implication he made on the fact that she never gained a pound when it came to eating food. Sure it was a joke between the three of them but the way it sounded, it sounded mean. She wasn’t going to go into it and went to business. “George informed me that one of the rangers on patrol was attacked. She gave me the details. I thought we could take a look. She said to meet her at the station and she would take us out.”

“Why would she need to drive us out?” Dean asked the question as he handed a cup of coffee to Angela and then to Sam while she held the doughnuts.

“Wilderness area, Dean,” Angela replied not looking at Sam. “Areas like these, apart from forestry business, no vehicles allowed and you go either on foot or horseback. It’s all about preserving the wilderness.”

“Please don’t tell me we have to go camping,” Dean replied as he led the way to the car. He couldn’t help but give a grin as Angela sat on the rail banister and slid all the way down on the railing. He liked it when she was in a good mood.

Angela couldn’t help it. Ever since being regressed back to her thirteen she felt the urge to occasionally do a few things kids would do. She did them when the opportunity presented itself and in a way it was a nice reminder to allow herself to live a little. It was like that saying ‘all work and no play’ and it made her feel good. She gave a chuckle as she slid down the banister and replied, “No but we may have to hike up to other areas. Maybe take a ride.”

“You’re loving this aren’t ya Angie?” Dean walked down the stairs wearing a grin. He wasn’t trying to ignore Sam but the look that was on his brother’s face was more of a warning sign to him and he didn’t want to get into a fight.

“Just enjoying the fact that I might have to watch you make a fool of yourself or be smart with the M&Ms,” Angela replied as she waited for the boys to catch up with her.

“I see someone’s been following us,” Dean teased knowing that she was referring to the wendigo case.

“Nah. Just read the reports. You know **them**. They have eyes everywhere,” Angela replied making the hand movements to make it mysterious. She knew that they knew she was referring to the Centurion. She had told them on the road after leaving the point that she read about a few of their cases that the Centurion observed in their own way.

Dean made a slight hum as the trio made it to the Impala. “Alright so what station?”

“West Fork Station. It’s fifteen miles south of Darby. We meet there and George will take us up,” Angela replied as she got into her seat.

Dean looked over the roof at Sam. He made a slight face and got in the car. At least the day wasn’t starting off with the ugly looks. Maybe Sam would get over what was eating him by the time they finished the day’s work.

****

“A little formal for the wilderness isn’t it?”

Angela glanced up at the ranger while she was kneeling and examining the ground near where they found the remains of Ranger Todd Jennings. She thought him to be a cocky ass wipe but she wasn’t going to be rude. This was George’s territory and she was a friend who was on vacation and she was invited for her expertise. A similar story went for the boys who were looking around and asking questions.

Angela looked back at the remains and replied, “Old habits and this is casual.”

“Whatever you say,” and the ranger walked off, leaving her alone.

Angela was grateful for that since what she wanted to do would be considered a bit creepy. Glancing down, she noticed something. Pulling out a pair of tweezers in her jacket pocket, she picked up the object and examined it. She turned the tweezers in her hand to get a good look at the object which she surmised to be hair.

It was unusual type of hair. It was not Jennings’ since it was too light, almost white, to be from his head. The length and the texture was most unusual too. She knew definitely that it wasn’t bear fur meaning that this was not a bear attack and neither were the others. The coroner’s report on the remains will confirm that. No this was something else.

It couldn’t be a wendigo. True that some were pretty hairy and it was grotesque but wendigos collected their food and hoarded if for their hibernation and the like. Besides wendigos didn’t maul their food. This was something else. She was sure of it but she just had to take one more observation.

Holding the tweezers with the hair under her nose, she waved it underneath her nostrils while she took in a deep sniff. She could smell the odors of the forest areas but the animal’s odor she was more focused on. She frowned as she continued to sniff. That it wasn’t a normal animal was a certain fact but it was a beast. The thing was she didn’t recognize the smell but it was unique. She stared off in a direction and thought about it.

Meanwhile Sam and Dean were looking at other things and asking questions. Dean was glad that Sam slipped into his role of good and understanding cop. He didn’t know if it was a good sign or not but he was going to work with it. He was checking out the ground around the body and decided to check the remains.

He kneeled while trying not to make too bad of a face. Angela never let him or Sam live down the fact that they could get squeamish around bead bodies. He had to look professional too since it was Ranger Wilkes’ career on the line since they were operating under fake IDs and the like. Looking close he could tell right off the bat that it was no bear attack. The markings were inconsistent with bear claws and he had seen what those things could do since he, Sam and Dad were nearly mauled by a giant grizzly when they went camping… and hunting for a werewolf.

It was definitely not a werewolf since those guys liked their hearts. They rarely, if ever, ripped a body to shreds. If Dean had to venture a guess, the thing that did this was pissed at this guy. He asked, “Ranger Wilkes, did Ranger Jennings carry a gun?”

Georgia looked up from the report she was writing from the other ranger on the scene. She had gotten the trio in as consultants while they were in the area. Her team bought it and allowed them to look around. She also got them time with the coroner. She replied, “According to the report, Jennings was carrying his standard .45 revolver. Is that significant?”

Dean had done this plenty of times. He replied, “From the general condition of the body, it looks like Jennings may have shot at it and in turn antagonized it.” He glanced up at Sam and his brother gave a slight movement of his head that told Dean he agreed with the assessment. Whatever this thing was, it was serious pissed.

Sam went and kneeled next to Dean to take a look. He spoke in a low voice, “So you think wendigo? Shooting it with a regular gun just makes it mad.”

“Wendigos don’t rip a body to shreds,” Dean replied. “They store them.”

“Chupracaba?”

“You’re kidding me Sam? Up this far north?” Dean looked at Sam who gave him that look that asked him if he had any better ideas. “What about werewolf?”

“They usually take the heart and leave the body,” Sam replied. He pointed at the remains and what he was sure was the remains of the heart. He added, “And I think that is the heart.” He looked up and saw Angela making a strange loping movement. She was studying the ground while holding a pair of tweezers. “What’s she doing?”

Dean looked up. He frowned at the movements Angela was making. She looked like she was trying to match her stride with something on the ground and she looked ridiculous doing it. He nudged Sam and replied, “No idea. Go check it out and I’ll see about getting the autopsy report as well as the other reports.” It probably wasn’t a good idea to put them together so soon after yesterday but maybe the case would mellow them both out and they would start talking.

Sam looked at Dean who immediately busied himself with his appointed task and gave a sigh. He wanted to talk to her but he wasn’t sure if he could do it without bringing up anything that would lead to a fight. He could just stick to the case and maybe he would survive. He walked over to where she was kneeling and studying the ground. He asked, “Find anything?”

Angela knew that it was Sam and she had the option of ignoring him completely or brush him off under the guise of the work she was doing. However, she tried not to be petty even if it was deserved. If she was going to find out why Sam was insisting on treating her like a leper, she was going to have to talk to him eventually. Talking about the case would be good practice. She replied, “Tracks and most unusual. There is a wide stride meaning that it was big.”

“Bear?”

“No. Bears waddle on all fours and that would be a different stride altogether,” Angela rubbed her finger in the track to gauge the impression. “This is almost… ape-like. It has a distinct two legged stride but there are also four limbs like gorillas when they rush something. Plus I found this.” Angela held up the pair of tweezers with the hair for Sam to grasp.

Sam examined the hair. “Gorilla hair?”

“Please. Gorillas don’t do this. The hair is definitely animal though. I just can’t figure it out…”

“Find something?”

Angela looked up from what she was doing just as Sam hid the pair of tweezers. They would need the hair to examine later. They looked at Georgia and Angela replied, “Maybe George but I think it’s best that you keep it labeled as a bear attack.”

“You know a bear wouldn’t do that and that is just going to spark a manhunt for a man eating bear and that will bring whatever it is more victims,” Georgia replied.

“And they aren’t going to believe that possibly Bigfoot is behind it.” Angela meant it in sarcasm but she had a point to it and she hoped that Georgia picked up on it. Her eyes flickered slightly to the faint scar that was near Georgia’s left temple. The marks had been deep and people thought she would be permanently scarred.

Georgia understood where her friend was coming from. Who would believe that it wasn’t a bear but some creature that only existed in ghost stories and the like? Hell people still believed that she had been attacked by a mountain cat which left the scar on her left temple. She trusted that Angela knew what she was doing and she could hold off the hunt under a mountain of paperwork. She nodded, “Alright but I’m counting on the three of you to find the thing and kill it before any more of these killings happen.”

“Don’t worry George,” Angela replied, “We got it covered.”

Georgia smiled at that. She knew that her friend’s word was bond. “Alright. Well the coroner is ready to take the body and I promised your two friends the look in. We better get heading back.” She turned to head back to the jeep and give orders.

Angela smiled and waited until Georgia was gone before saying, “And I’m sure the report is going to say what is obvious.” She started walking towards the jeep but not before she got a few pictures of the footprints. There was something about them that had her bothered and she had a mind to ask the survivor about it.

****

They usually say that if it is too good to be true then it usually was. At least that’s usually the case when it involved the Winchesters. Dean had a feeling the tentative peace that seemed to settle over them was not going to last and looking back on it, he wished that he had done something more about it or more likely forced out the root of the stick up Sam’s ass.

That he was certain it was unrecognized jealousy on Sam’s part didn’t mean that he shouldn’t have been diligent about it. Maybe he could have done steps to assure Sam that she knew what she was doing. Of course it didn’t help when Sam seemed to turn that green eyed monster look on him. He was sure Sam knew that he didn’t feel about her in that fashion. That was just plain gross.

It started out pleasant in grabbing a bite to eat since the coroner needed to perform the autopsy. It seemed ridiculous since there were few remains but since it was suspicious circumstances even though it was ruled to be a bear attack, they had to do it. Dean likened it to something out of one of those procedural cop shows and that had Angela snickering.

There was some friendly banter over the food since Angela was eating fruit, yoghurt and a gallon of iced tea while Sam was eating his usual rabbit food and of course he had his bacon cheeseburger with extra bacon and fries. He teased Angela more about the ice since he knew why she always had something cold to drink and she mentioned his slow decay into being a fat old bloke watching reruns on Saturday night. That had Sam laughing since he was always on the campaign to get Dean to eat healthier.

Dean of course made fun of Sam being a Sasquatch living off of rabbit food. That earned him a bitch face but it was worth it. That was until she got a phone call.

Angela was finishing the last bit of her yoghurt when her cell phone rang. She frowned slightly at the sound it made. Dean suspected that she wasn’t expecting a phone call which was why she frowned or she was and it was not the time she was expecting it. Either way Dean smelled trouble the minute she fished it out of her coat pocket and looked at the call ID.

Sam tried not to be nosy about it but Dean could tell that he was trying to find out who it was. Dean figured she didn’t know since the frown she was giving indicated that she didn’t recognize the number. She answered it, “Hello.”

Dean could tell that it meant trouble when she frowned and said, “Nick?”

At least she took the conversation away from the table though Dean was certain that wasn’t going to improve matters much. It was unfortunate that he had to take a bathroom break at that time. He left Sam sitting on a potential keg of dynamite to answer nature’s call and prayed that Sam would control himself while he was gone. He wasn’t to get his wish.

When Dean came back, he found Sam in what appeared to be one short step from a fist fight and that was saying something given the way Angela was standing. At least she didn’t have that dangerous gleam in her eye when she was royally pissed. Instead she looked angry and hurt but more hurt at whatever Sam said to her. Dean got close enough to hear her say, “When you’re ready to not be an ass then maybe I will talk to you.”

Dean could only watch as she put her share of the food money down on the table and turn and leave their table on the outdoor picnic table. It took a lot of restraint not to march up to his brother and give him what was coming to him. The look on Sam’s face said enough. All Dean managed to get out then was, “Nice going bitch.”

Sam replied, “Shut up jerk.”

Angela wasn’t at the motel but she did send Dean a text saying that they were ready at the coroner’s office for them. Dean figured that she was taking the whole not talking to Sam at all seriously. Dean tried calling her but all he got was her voicemail and he seriously wondered what the hell Sam said to her so that she was not talking to Sam and only texting him. Did he do something?

So now they were at the coroner’s office waiting for the coroner to get back from lunch and tell them what they were sure wasn’t a bear attack. Dean sat on the bench while Sam was sitting there equally quiet and brooding like an emo bitch again. Dean decided that now was as good as a time as any to talk. He turned towards Sam and asked, “Okay, so you want to tell me what the hell you said to her today?”

Sam glanced at Dean. “No.”

“Sam.”

“It’s none of your business Dean.”

“I think it is Sam,” Dean replied trying to keep his voice low. “I want to know what happened and I bet that it had something to do with that phone call she received from the warlock Nick.”

The look on Sam’s face told Dean all he needed to know. Sam was jealous but he wasn’t recognizing it as such and instead of being a man and actually addressing why he was uncomfortable with her talking to the guy that returned them to their normal size, he was decided being an ass was the best way to go. Now Angela was pissed thinking that he was an ass or that Sam changed his mind about her and she was off on her own.

Dean knew that she wasn’t going to stick around when she needed to think and she was in a bad mood. He looked forward at the ugly wall in front of him to think before saying, “You know Sam, if you were that bothered by her talking to the guy then you should have come out and said it. Treating her like she’s one of the things we hunt… it’s no wonder she called you an ass.”

“Right and I’m sure she likes stringing you along too.”

“What are you talking about?” Dean frowned at Sam. Where in the hell was Sam getting his ideas? He wasn’t about to have his question answered since the coroner decided at that moment to walk in and he greet them with professional politeness. It was a conversation to be finished later but it would have Dean wondering the rest of the time they were investigating.


	4. Chapter 4

“Well after careful examination, I can tell you that this is highly unusual,” the coroner began as he looked at the pair that came to see him. He had briefly met them both when he went to assess the body at the scene.

“What can you tell us Doc?” Dean asked the question since he didn’t trust Sam with the questions at the moment.

“Well the body was ripped by a very strong individual. The upper body strength had to be really strong in order to do this amount of damage.”

“Like a gorilla’s strength?”

Dean looked at Sam. At least his brother was keeping his mind on the job. He ignored the look that Sam gave him while he turned his attention to the coroner.

The coroner looked up at the pair. Georgia said that these guys were consultants in the area and she was asking them for their opinion. In his mind they didn’t look like they were in law enforcement. There was too much emotion going on in between them but then again he had seen tension between law enforcement partners before.

The assessment that the taller partner made was a rather nice one. The coroner replied, “Something akin to that fact. What I found really interesting are the bite marks. Take a look at the bones on the ulna.”

Dean made a slight twitching in his lips as he leaned forward with Sam. He could see the markings. They were fairly deep gouges and they were pretty big. “I’m guessing these are too big for bear teeth?”

“I’m not saying that but it is inconsistent with bear attacks. Even moose don’t do this much damage.”

“So are we looking at some new creature?” Dean had to venture the question. Sometimes what people suspected helped in their line of work. This was critical since they were in a town that was close to what was, according to Angela, one of the largest wilderness areas in this region.

“Aren’t you supposed to be the experts?”

“Your town, Doc,” Dean replied giving a friendly grin. “You guys know the area better than we do.”

“Was there anything else unusual about the body that says that it wasn’t like a bear attack?” Sam entered, cutting to the chase.

The coroner looked at Sam and then at Dean. He said, “Your partner needs to loosen up.”

Dean gave a short chuckle and gave a side kick to Sam to keep him from doing anything stupid. He replied, “That’s why we came out here. Just trying to find something not related to police work. So really Doc, was there anything else?”

The coroner looked at Dean before reaching for a bag. “I found some hairs on the remains. I can tell you for certain they aren’t human and they don’t belong to Jennings. The hair coloring is too light and it is completely white.”

Dean took the bag and took a look. They looked like the hairs that Angela had found. He noticed though that on this batch there were skin tags on the hairs. That meant that the hairs were ripped out. It could mean that Jennings fought with his attacker. He said, “Looks like you got skin tags.”

The coroner came over to take a look. “Well by Jove you’re right. Looks like Jennings may have fought with it and defended himself. Looks like we might have enough to run to a DNA check. We might be able to find out if it was a bear.”

“Good luck with that,” Dean said, “Look can we get a copy of the report? My partner and I can go over it and maybe we’ll find something.”

“Certainly. See the receptionist about it on your way out.”

Dean took that as his and Sam’s cue to leave. He made a motion and they both left the autopsy room. He made the inquiry for the report stating that they would wait for it. It was a perfect opportunity to finish the conversation that they started while waiting for the receptionist. He turned so that his back was facing the desk and asked, “So what the hell did you mean by that comment earlier?”

“Nothing.”

“Don’t make me take extreme measures Sam,” Dean issued the warning. He had no idea what he was going to do except maybe the usual.

“Or what? You’ll do something to my laptop? You do that anyway Dean,” Sam replied as he crossed his arms over his chest. He tried ignoring his brother but even without looking, he could see that Dean wasn’t about to let this go so easily. He had to try though. “It was nothing.”

Dean had to think fast. Sam meant something by that comment and the more he thought about it, it was like he was calling her a slut. He was sure Sam didn’t mean that and he just said it in a fit of anger but even that was uncharacteristic of Sam. Sure he said some things when that ghost doc messed with his mind but sometimes people said things they didn’t mean when they were angry. “It wasn’t ‘nothing’ if you felt the need to say it.”

“It’s nothing Dean. Drop it.”

“No I’m not since it’s obvious that you’re not and what is it about her talking to Nick that has you thinking you have to make her life miserable?”

Sam shook his head. Dean probably would understand or maybe not. Maybe it was because he didn’t take it seriously. How could he explain that he had been watching how people, guys especially ogled her? That he noticed how people gravitated towards her and were quick to follow her lead? Did they both think that it was over with the threats on her life? She herself said that it wasn’t the first time someone wanted her dead. Plus maybe he did feel jealous that she was not into sharing anything anymore. Sam didn’t know how to voice it except through anger and he didn’t want to start an argument with Dean over it. So he kept silent.

“Well Sam?”

Of course Dean wasn’t going to quit. That was the thing about the Winchesters. They never quit. Sam sighed, “I just don’t like the guy.”

“Dude you don’t like any guy that says hi to her and they are being polite.” Dean knew he was getting to the crux of the issue. Sam still didn’t have a clue that he was attracted to her but it was plain that he was assuming the big brother stance he was guilty of when it came to Sam and her.

“Just be lucky that it doesn’t extend to you when you’re on a coffee break.”

It then occurred to Dean that Sam may have witnessed the entire conversation that he and Angela had the night before. If Sam saw Dean touch her in that way… It made sense now to the comment Sam made. The touch was pretty intimate and they both knew that she had a thing about people touching her in certain areas. Dean realized he was going to have to set the record straight. He saw her more like family… a sister than anything. He made the mistake though of giving a relieved chuckle and said, “Sam…”

Before he could finish, Sam walked off saying, “You know what, never mind.”

Dean sighed and was about to follow when he was approached by the receptionist with a copy of the reports. This was going to be difficult since Sam was clamming up and Angela wasn’t around to calm people down in that way of hers ever when she was annoyed and pissed. He took the report and thanked the receptionist. He had it in his mind to flirt with her but now he just didn’t have the heart to. He followed the path his brother took trying to figure out how to fix this.

****

The morning felt like a bust but the afternoon could prove profitable even with the shadow hanging over things. Angela took a sip of the cheap cup of coffee she had bought and made a slight face. She had gotten the dregs of the batch. Oh well. She shrugged her shoulders and downed the cup. She was annoyed and hurt and the crap she drank fit with her mood.

The phone call from Nick she had been expecting but it was earlier than she anticipated given the fact that she knew how council meetings went. She knew that would put selecting a hearing date further down the list. Criminal cases went first since they generally involved the beings who accepted the law and all that good crap.

Nick had been called to present to the council why he had summoned intervention when he did. Since he was directly involved in Seraph and Horus’ capturing of the Venator, he had to go. He had contacted her to ask her about procedures regarding standing in front of the higher powers. That took several phone calls over the past few weeks since he left and they were detailed ones taking up to an hour or so at a time.

The last one was to tell her whether or not she was to come forth and give her piece since she was the one who fought the guy. Nick had previously told her that he wanted to keep her out of it simply because he wasn’t sure that the council wouldn’t understand the complications that arose from the regression spell that had been used on her and the boys. She was smart enough to recognize that he didn’t want to put her through the embarrassment of an interrogation when she was to do that eventually.

She found it sweet of Nick and told him so. She suspected that he was attracted to her and not in the friendship type of way. Angela hated that aspect of herself. She already had Austin ‘under her spell’ and she knew that it would never be more than a friendship. He knew that too and had moved on but he admitted that he would always have a place for her in his heart. She could admit that she was attracted to Nick but more along the lines that they shared similar experiences of helping and living on the run.

Nick told her that she didn’t have to give her statement. He said that the council deemed that there was plenty of evidence since a certain demon found the Venator’s partner and the machine they had been using to track down Halflings. Nick never mentioned the demon’s name but Angela knew who it was that found Payne. She had told Ruby that if she didn’t want this to happen again, then she should bring Payne in. Well she implied that when she told Ruby to find Payne and his machine. Anyway, Nick told her that Payne and the Venator were to be imprisoned for life. The Venator was to be sent to Carpathia, the maximum security prison. There was no way that he was getting out… ever.

Angela was keeping the whole thing on the low ground since she knew that sometimes criminal trials didn’t always go well. Nick did say though that there was plenty of evidence when they examined the machine and the location where it was being kept. She was planning on telling the boys since she said that Nick had requested intervention which was why they were able to leave without too much worry.

When she came back, Sam asked her if it was her boyfriend and not in a friendly manner. She had responded saying that it was Nick and that he was asking her something as well as giving some news. That led to Sam asking if he was asking her out.

“I don’t think that’s any of your business, Sam,” Angela had replied.

“Fine. Just make sure that you don’t string anyone along like Dean.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Look if you want to go out with that _warlock_ just don’t do it behind Dean’s back.”

Angela had been completely flabbergasted by the implications. She had no idea where Sam was getting his crazy ideas. She replied, “His name is Nick and if I wish to go out with him is my business… not yours.”

“If you want to be one of those girls then fine.”

The moment Sam said that, Angela became very aware that she was very hurt by that. Her first impulse was to slap Sam and he would have deserved it. She balled her hands into a fist and said, “Since you want to be that way, I don’t think I can talk to you. When you are ready to not be an ass, then maybe I will talk to you.” She then walked out and went to continue on the case.

Angela knew she was not being fair to Dean by ignoring the phone calls and only sending text messages but she was still too angry and hurt. She didn’t want to risk hurting Dean when the real target of her ire was Sam. Did he really think her to be like that? Maybe she did crave a relationship but she denied it to herself because her duty came first. All her life it did; that and she harbored the belief that she was a bad luck charm when it came to personal relationships.

Her relationship with the boys was one that she sought to preserve and probably one of the few things she sought for herself. She could admit that she liked them both and it could be called love but more of that brotherly love. She just didn’t want to say anything out of the fear that something bad would happen. It did when she lost her father and of course there was Mary as well as the close friendships she made over the centuries, the ones that didn’t end because of old age.

This was going to have to be fixed but right now she had a job to do. People needed saving from this beast and she knew that it wasn’t a bear. Georgia had given her the address of the one survivor and she decided that she should talk to him. Georgia mentioned that he was in a bit of a catatonic state from his ordeal. That was no problem. She also had the message that the coroner was ready. She sent that info to Dean.

Now she was outside the house of Mr. John Scout looking up the porch and at the door. At least she looked like the part. She could only hope that his daughter would be willing to let her talk to him. She fished in her pocket and pulled out the fake badge, well the badge was real but the ID wasn’t, and checked it. Taking a breath, she jogged up the stairs and knocked on the door.

The door was opened to a sunny-faced young woman. Angela got the feeling that she would have been smiling if it hadn’t been for the fact that her father had been attacked. She gave her best sympathetic smile and introduced herself, “Ms. Scout? I’m Detective Cortez. Ranger Georgia Wilkes asked me to consult on the case regarding the missing hikers. She said that your father managed to come back.”

“I don’t understand. I thought it was ruled as a bear attack?” The young woman looked at Angela with a puzzled expression.

Angela had to cover and make a plausible story. She replied, “It was but the circumstances were suspicious and we did find another body. I was hoping that by questioning your father, we could make things clear and catch the thing that did this.”

The woman continued to look a little puzzled as if she were debating on the validity of Angela’s request. Finally she said, “Alright. I still don’t see why they need an outside opinion on a bear attack but then again my father keeps insisting that it wasn’t a bear.” She opened the door to let Angela in.

Angela followed the woman through a very spacious house. It was tastefully decorated to give an almost rustic and civilized appeal. Angela recalled the last time she was in a place like that and it seemed so long ago. She commented, “Very nice. It seems to bring a bit of the wilderness in.”

“My parents love the wilderness. My mother especially. When she died, Dad kept everything as it was. I just make sure to keep it up with the flowers,” Ms. Scout replied. She led the way to a sunny room that made it look like a study. There were two chairs in front of the fire place. One was occupied by someone. “I must tell you Dad has been doing good but he does shut down if he thinks someone doesn’t believe him.” She then smiled and said, “Dad, this is Detective Cortez. She is interested in what happened in the woods.”

Angela took the seat she had been offered. When the daughter asked if she wanted coffee, she readily accepted. She suspected that the old man didn’t want to talk about it with his daughter there. Once she was gone, she smiled and said, “Mr. Scout…”

“I know why you are here. You want to know if it was a bear that attacked me on the trail towards Lake Como,” Mr. Scout interrupted. He had a long scar on the right side of his face that was still healing since it was pink. He had other scars on his left arm that looked like claw marks.

Angela knew that he was a sharp tack. The usual tricks wouldn’t work. She replied, “Yes I am. I also know that it wasn’t a bear attack like everyone is saying. I want to know what you think it was. Maybe you could describe it to me.”

Mr. Scout surveyed the young detective. He suspected the name was fake, but the sincerity in finding out what happened out there was in her eyes. He could trust her. He nodded, “I can tell you one thing. It was huge… bigger than any bear I had ever seen and I had seen quite a few. It’s out for blood since it chased me until I left the area.”

Angela leaned forward in interest. “Tell me everything.”

****

_Well I think are several possibilities but only one stands out to me._

“So you do have an idea what the thing is Bobby?” Angela wiped the towel through her hair as she talked on the phone.

It had been late when she finished her interview with the old man. He insisted on giving her all the details. She found that to be most helpful as she compiled her lists for the modus operandi of the types of creatures that had the same size as what the old man described and the type of behavior that it engaged in. She hadn’t been in the mood to meet up with the boys and took the roundabout way to her room after grabbing a bite to eat.

She made her lists and poured through her databases but she was stuck. The old man was good but he described the thing as being super-fast and that he hadn’t gotten a good look at it. That was the problem when it came to these creatures. They moved too fast and there were quite a few that did that. So after taking a shower, she called up Bobby and gave details.

_Yeah and he don’t exist._

“You’re kidding me? Your assessment is Bigfoot?” Angela looked at nothing in particular as she listened to Bobby’s response.

_Hey you gave me what you got. Why aren’t you going over this with the boys?_

“I don’t want to talk about that,” Angela replied quickly.

_Don’t give me that tone young lady. You may be the eldest of all of us but you still have the disposition of those two idjits you travel with._

“It’s… it’s just that things are a little tense.” Angela made a slight roll of her eyes as her tone took that cautious telltale one.

_Sounds like the understatement of the year to me._

“Tell me about it.”

_I will._

Angela couldn’t help but chuckle over that. She replied, “I know. I need to fix it. You don’t need another lost, kicked puppy showing up on your doorstep. I’ll try to work it out but someone needs to stop being an ass.”

_Dean?_

“No.”

_Sam?_

“I’ll talk to you later Bobby. Maybe a good night’s sleep would help me figure it out. Good-night,” Angela replied changing the subject. She hung up before Bobby could reply. She put the phone on the nightstand and sighed while running a hand through her wet locks. A knock at the door caught her attention and she walked to the door and leaned her head on it. Closing her eyes, she took a sniff. Finding out who it was, she opened the door and said, “Knocking on doors seems a little low tech for you.”

Crowley glanced around to make sure that there was no salt around. Seeing none, he stepped in the room taking in the rustic setting. He advanced towards Angela who was standing near the bed but was suddenly stopped. He looked around and found no sign of a devil’s trap.

“Crowley.”

Crowley looked at Angela who pointed up with a UV penlight. Looking up at the ceiling, he saw part of a trap glow under the UV light. There was a reason why he liked her and part of it was her ability to be creative when dealing with his kind. He gave a chuckle and a smile, “Very clever love.”

“I have my moments… like the ability to sniff out patterns of your appearances Crowley,” Angela replied as she crossed her arms. She was aware that she was dressed in a manner that suggested that she was relaxed; her flannel pants and her usual top for bed. However she was still diligent when it came to her own safety and the safety of others. She made a click with her tongue and a wry grin. It was always the same with her and Crowley but she couldn’t help it and she asked, “So what have you come to offer me this time?”

“Same deal as always. You do a few things for me and I can get my hands on Dean’s contract and make it go all away,” Crowley replied as he stood rooted to his spot. He couldn’t believe that she wasn’t going to let him go so easily.

“Isn’t it always peculiar that you show up the moment something is not going right in my life?” Angela looked at Crowley in an inquisitive manner while speaking in a sarcastic tone.

“What can I say love? When you’re at your worst I get the feeling that I might get lucky.”

“You just love exploiting people when they are down on their luck don’t you?”

“You caught me love,” Crowley replied holding his hands up in mock surrender. “Like right now. Seems to me I can sense things are not going well between you and your bodyguards.”

“The Winchesters are not my bodyguards. We are partners,” Angela replied in annoyed tones as she picked up one of her pens. It was how she was able to mark rooms without leaving a trace. The next occupants were protected when she left.

“So you say. Now I know they are tense about Dean’s contract and I am sure that you know by now your precious council won’t rule to reverse it so why not play with the devil you know… as the saying goes.”

“No go, Crowley,” Angela replied as she pulled a chair up and stood to wipe away part of the seal. “No deals between you and me and I would appreciate it if you leave me alone.”

“Grown a spine I see. I always did like it when you showed your tougher side.” Crowley took a step forward, relieved that the seal was broken. He reached out to touch Angela’s face and was amused when she jerked it away. “Alright love. I won’t bother you anymore but do remember that should you need a deal, you’re going to have to do a summoning the old fashioned way.”

“Highly unlikely with you.”

“But with Ruby…” Crowley left that hanging as he turned towards the door. “By the way I heard about the Venator. Your warlock friend came through for you. I hope you have it in you to show your appreciation love.”

Angela resisted the urge to throw the pen at Crowley. Instead she let him go. She plunked herself on her bed and crossed her legs in an attempt to meditate. It was going to be a long night.


	5. Chapter 5

Dean knocked what was apparently the fifth time on Angela’s door. He knew that it was the point of ridiculousness but he wanted to make sure that she was okay. Plus he wanted to make sure that she wasn’t mad at him. He had made a few blunders before and he wanted to make sure that he hadn’t done anything and didn’t know it.

He could tell that she was still miffed because she hadn’t walked by singing one of her songs. Still he woke up early and found that Sam had fallen asleep over the laptop again. There was a bit of drool on his hand where his head was resting. It was a perfect opportunity to take a picture and he did but it was halfhearted at best. His mind was concerned with how to fix this.

Dean knew that his time was short and he didn’t want the two people that mattered to him to be at odds over something stupid. He knew she wasn’t petty but whatever Sam said to her must’ve really hurt her feelings for her to be avoiding them the rest of the day before and now it seemed like she was doing it today.

Dean heard his phone ring and buzz. That meant he had a text. He pulled it out and found a text from her. It said, _Found a lead. Going to check it out. Will call later._

Dean sighed. She was going off alone again. He didn’t doubt that she could take care of herself but the last time she did that when her feelings outweighed her usual rationality, she got shot and that led to a mess with that douche. This time he couldn’t run to catch up and she didn’t leave a clue as to where she was going so he was left holding the empty sack. He trudged back to the room he and Sam had shared to find that the shower was in use.

Dean decided to busy himself with the reports that they had gotten and do a little cross checking on the database that Sam had shown him. Maybe he could figure out what she had figured out and they could stop her from doing something foolish. It vaguely occurred to him that she was doing this to get them to work together but that idea sounded a bit stupid since he and Sam really weren’t fighting per se. Then again this was Angela and her mind sometimes worked differently though not surprisingly Sam could follow it quite well.

Sam finished his shower and peered out the door before coming out to grab his clothes. Dean couldn’t help but smile. Ever since Sam walked out with nothing but a towel and she was in the room, he always checked. It was hilarious to Dean since it was just one of the things that added up to the fact that Sam really liked Angela but just couldn’t see it. Dean sobered quickly and immersed himself into the reports until Sam came up. Then he said, “Morning Sunshine.”

Sam acknowledged the change in greeting accordingly, “Morning Dean.” He looked around and saw that there was no coffee or Dean’s idea of breakfast. “No coffee?”

“What did you expect?” Dean didn’t look at his brother. “The pot’s on the stand.”

That meant it was Sam’s cue to make it himself. Sam went to do that knowing that he deserved what he was getting. He thought a lot about what happened and he knew he was being unfair to her. She didn’t deserve to be called what he implied. He also pissed off his brother with his implication too. He really messed things up and he just couldn’t get why. Usually if something was bothering him, he tried to talk it out with her.

Sam knew that this started when he saw Nick kiss her. Deep down Sam knew that kiss wasn’t one given in friendship but that Nick’s intentions were serious. As far as he knew, Angela had never been serious about a relationship and the idea she might be was well like when Dean started leaving him at those kid places to chase girls.

Sam put the pot on and chose the coffee that might spark a reaction from Dean. He knew that Dean drank his coffee black and that anything else was for pansies. She did say that sometimes the smallest of gestures meant more than big ones. Maybe this was time for one of those moments.

The coffee was finished in no time and Sam had two cups poured. Dean still was looking at the database. Wordlessly he set Dean’s cup down and sat down in the chair opposite. He pulled one of the abandoned reports towards him and out of the blue pulled out the tweezers with the lock of hair. Sam took to studying it while Dean kept reading and he watched for Dean to take his cup.

Dean for his part was surprised that Sam actually made a pot. He half expected him to say something that would have them arguing. Maybe his little brother was sucking it up and owning up to his being an ass. He kept quiet though thinking that Sam would need to make the first move and barely acknowledged the gesture of giving him a cup of coffee. Food was not even considered but hey, baby steps.

Feeling sleepy and frustrated that he wasn’t getting any closer to what the thing was, Dean reached for his cup. One of the great things about the job was that no matter how bad the coffee was, it was consistent in providing the necessary fuel to get going and keep going when on the job. Black was the best way to go. Adding all that sugar and cream crap and them lattes were just a pansy way of getting caffeine. Taking his cup, he took a big sip and was caught off guard by the… orange taste? “What the hell?”

Normally Sam would have burst out laughing but he didn’t feel doing that. He managed a slight grin and said, “You said the pot was over there. I made coffee so deal.”

Dean caught the slight grin and realized that Sam was trying to make things up. In his mind though Sam should be trying with Angela since he hurt her feelings but then again he concluded that Sam was probably practicing and he felt that he owed Dean an apology too. He replied, “But did you have to poison me with this…” He motioned to the cup that he put back down on the table.

“It’s orange liqueur. You should be happy,” Sam replied as he took a sip and studied the hairs.

“I like my alcohol plain thank you very much and not in my coffee… unless it’s Irish coffee,” Dean replied as he amended his statement. “So why are you trying to poison me?” He asked the question in a casual-friendly tone.

“Just trying to expand your horizons,” Sam replied. He twiddled the tweezers in between his fingers. “And I want to apologize for what I said. I know you care about Angie but not in the way I implied and I know I owe her one too.”

“That’s a start,” Dean replied. “So are you going to tell me what got your boxers in a twist in the first place?”

“Not really,” Sam replied. At the look Dean gave him, he hastened to add, “It’s not that I don’t want to tell you… it’s just something that I need to talk to her alone about.”

Dean gave a slight nod, “I’ll buy that for now Sam but it seems to me that this will eventually be a group discussion.”

“I don’t think so Dean.”

Dean knew that he should let it lie and for once he was going to follow through with that. He left well enough alone and turned his attention to what he had been researching. “So I’ve been going over the reports and this database that you are addicted to seems to pop out one that matches all the clues and I think it is a load of crap.” Dean flipped the laptop so that Sam could take a look. “This thing says that our monster is Bigfoot.”

Sam peered at the screen. That couldn’t be right. What the hell was going on?

****

_Take the western trails. It will bring you close but stay to the path if you don’t want to meet it._

Angela fastened the belts with an expert hand. She made sure the girth belt wasn’t too tight but not too loose either. She gave a slight rub as if to tickle and she made a chuckle as a slight rumble sound happened.

“Where you want to go, most people don’t go. Only seasoned hikers and riders do that.”

Angela looked at her guide. He was a young man, probably eighteen and he had been recommended by the old man. She had gone back to the Scout house and asked about the specific trail and its accessibility. She had an idea of what it was they were hunting but she wanted to check it out before they did anything.

She had rounded up a few shotguns and her handguns along with her chakram. She debated on taking Absolution but decided against it. The boy who was to be her guide to the main trail, Kyle, had looked at her suspiciously when she showed up with the guns and her gear. Even when she showed him her fake ID, he was kind of nervous but he relaxed when he saw that she knew a thing or two about handling tack.

Mr. Scout gave permission for her to use his horses. Kyle was the boy who took care of them since he couldn’t do it all anymore. He introduced the two of them and mentioned that she was a detective and that seemed to mollify the boy a little about the guns. She looked at the boy and replied, “Well most of the hikers disappeared around those areas so I think I should check it out.”

Kyle looked at the gear that had been packed. He had seen at least two shotguns and two handguns so far and not to mention that weird metal circle thing that was just dangling from the saddle horn. “Seems to be a lot of gear for one bear and don’t the rangers have it under control?”

Angela checked the gear on the horse she had been given. She had plenty of iron and silver rounds loaded and spare cartridges and the chakram had its own unique abilities. She replied, “I’ve been on hunts before. I know what I’m doing. When we get to the main trail heading to Lake Como, you can turn back.” She went to the head of the horse and began stroking the nose while smiling slightly.

Kyle finished his tack. He patted the shoulder of his mount and rubbed it. He studied the cop that he was supposed to guide. He then said, “Out of two years since I started taking care of the Scout horses I have never seen Starkhaven take to anybody. He’s the right size for a lady but he has a temperament.”

Angela smiled as she stroked the top of Starkhaven’s nose and he gave a rumble of approval. She moved her hand to the cheek of the animal and stroked it. She had sensed the tension in the animal when she first entered the stables. The boy was going to get her a gentler mount but she insisted on Starkhaven and saddled and packed him up herself. The horse responded favorably. She replied, “We understand one another. He’s just a free spirit.”

“Mr. Scout said the same thing. Maybe that’s why nobody but him could get the horse to cooperate,” Kyle replied as he led his mount outside.

Angela followed and gave a slight chuckle when she felt the playful bump from Starkhaven. He reminded her so much of Thunder of the Sky with the playfulness and the spirit. She wondered if the horse was a reincarnation of her old friend since they were similar. Once they got outside, she mounted Starkhaven with ease and turned his head towards the road to follow the boy.

Easing the animal into a trot, she kept up with the boy. She paused only once to look back at what civilization was. She was anxious to follow this lead but she wondered if she should have given at least Dean something to go on. In her mind though she justified it as making sure of what the thing was before they launched out on an attack. At least she made sure of some reassurances but it depended on the boys looking for it. Closing off that train of thought, she turned towards the trail and galloped to catch up. She had to make sure of what it was and she suspected that she knew what it was.

It occurred to her after she told Crowley to get lost that maybe she was missing something. She was lying on her bed and flashing her UV penlight on the roof. She flashed it on the rook on the broken devil’s trap. Staring at it, she got the idea. She pulled out the map of the area and began making marks on it. She also had a few of the hairs she had found at the scene.

When she was finished, she pulled up what she knew from her pad and set it beside the map she had marked on and stood back to study it. She used her fingers to move the pages as she sifted through the information and looked at her notes she had tacked up. It went like that for at most she thought for two hours.

_Only thing I could think of was Bigfoot._

It clicked when she looked at the few strands of hair again and she immediately went to her pad and started tapping near furious. When she pulled up the information she was looking for she grinned. It made perfect sense but there was one thing off about it. It was the nature of the kills. That was what she wanted to find out about and that was why she went back to see Mr. Scout for some last minute details.

He was the one that offered the use of the horses after she asked a couple of pertinent questions. She of course refused stating that she could make it on foot. However the old man insisted since she was a nice girl and the only one who actually believed what he had to say. It was on the tip of her tongue to say that she suspected the attacks were not a normal animal attack but centuries on the job had taught her that the less that people knew that she knew what they told her was real, then the better it usually was. She couldn’t say that was the case with the bank job in Minneapolis.

Well now they were on the trail heading towards the wilderness area. She heard Starkhaven rumble under her as she followed Kyle. It took about nearly an hour to reach the border of the wilderness area. Angela brought up Starkhaven to a halt. She looked at the boy and said, “Well this is where we part ways.”

“I don’t know.”

Angela looked at the boy. She could see that he wasn’t sure about leaving her there. She smiled, “It’ll be alright. I’ve hunted before and I have plenty of fire power.”

“A shotgun ain’t gonna do much against a bear if he’s pissed.”

 _Son, it ain’t no bear._ Angela kept the thought to herself. “Only if you miss. Besides, I have a rifle right here.” She patted the Winchester rifle that she had brought in addition to the shotguns. Maybe it was overkill but it was better to be safe than sorry.

“Seems a little bit of an overkill and the slopes can get slippery. In the higher elevations there is still plenty of snow and ice. This down here is nothing. What if you take a spill?” Kyle looked at Angela with a worried expression. He wasn’t sure about leaving her there since she wasn’t from around the area.

“I’ve taken a tumble before. I know how to fall.” Angela looked at the boy. She couldn’t risk his life up there if she was right. She couldn’t have his death on her hands. She added, “Don’t worry. I know cell reception stinks but I do have a radio and Ranger Wilkes knows where I’m at. Go on and tell Mr. Scout thanks for letting me use Starkhaven.”

Kyle eyed his charge warily before turning the plug he was on and headed back down. He kept looking back as he went back. He had a bad feeling about this but Mr. Scout did say that he was to do whatever she said. He would do it.

Angela for her part watched the boy go down. He was a smart boy to suspect something was up. He knew that she was not from around there. Her confidence was enough to get him to go and she suspected he was obeying the old man. She waited on the horse until he was further down before turning to head up the trail. As she started up, she felt a chill from the breeze work its way up her jacket and down her spine.

****

It was getting onto noon or rather past that and there was no sign of Angela. Sam was waiting in his room while Dean went out to get food. He knew that he was giving his health up to chance letting Dean get them food but he wanted to wait and see if she would come back soon. He knew that she would have to be getting hungry by now.

It was a poor excuse that he gave to Dean in that he wanted to figure out what the thing was. It was someone’s idea of a practical joke in putting the Bigfoot entry in the database. He thought that since it was one that Angela used frequently, there were others that used it and wouldn’t mislead others with false information.

He tried everything to get around that entry but nothing happened though he really wasn’t trying since he was looking out the window every two minutes. He spent energy trying to get the three of them back together and he probably jeopardized that with his own stupidity. He hoped that wasn’t the case but since she hadn’t checked out, there was still a chance she was still around. She wouldn’t leave her stuff behind.

He got up to make another pot of coffee. This time he made the regular stuff since he felt like he needed it. While it was percolating, Sam went to look out the window. It had started snowing lightly, quite normal for this time of year and it looked nice. It reminded him of Christmas with Dean and she really hadn’t been there for it except when they were working the case. Those pagan gods certainly wanted a piece of her… literally which meant her blood. She didn’t stick around though and left for something or other but she came back.

As Sam was staring out, he felt a chill come upon him. It went down his spine that it felt like little needles of cold were pricking him. It was instinct to rub his upper arms. He had no idea why that would happen since the room was heated to be comfortable.

Suddenly his phone rang. His first impression was that it was Angela finally talking to him. He had left a few voicemails on her phone that day. He picked it up and answered, “Angie?”

_Is she available?_

Sam narrowed his eyes slightly. He recognized the voice. “What do you want?”

_You used to be cordial with me. Did putting you back to your normal size change that?_

Sam paced slightly while taking a deep breath. He could afford to be polite but it didn’t mean that he was going to make friends. He replied in a controlled voice, “Just being reasonable but that was before you made your intentions clear.”

_What intentions are you talking about?_

“Don’t play dumb, Nick,” Sam replied as he paced around. He saw that the pot he put on was finished but he didn’t care at the moment. “You’re the one that decided that it was okay to kiss her at your own pace.”

_She didn’t protest._

The voice did sound a bit taunting and Sam didn’t appreciate that. He replied, “She has a thing about strange people touching her and I have a big problem with people taking advantage of her.”

_And that is very admirable about you Sam._

“Look I need to know if you are serious about her. You’ve been calling her the last couple of weeks and she seems happy and then she gets quiet. If you do anything to hurt her, I swear…”

_There is a reason for that._

“Then spill,” Sam replied willing to listen. His assumptions had gotten him into trouble already. He was going to do this one right and get his facts straight. “No riddles or even pretending thing. I’m not in the mood.”

_Alright, alright. Listen, the reason I called was because it had to do with the Venator._

Sam stiffened when he heard that name. That guy still evoked strong feelings of being scared and angry. He had been scared because he had not been his normal size and he had been angry because the guy hurt her. He took a breath and called, “What about it?”

_I was calling because I needed to know protocol._

“Protocol for what?”

_Protocol for a hearing in front of this council of higher powers. I called because I was not familiar with the appropriate procedures._

“And how did you figure out that she would know?” Sam knew he was being a hard ass quizzing Nick like this. However he did find it strange that he would assume that she would know everything about that. Truth was she did but how the warlock found out was what Sam wanted to know.

_The guy who gave me the summons. Some guy named Horus and he dropped the comment about asking Absolution for help._

Sam listened. He remembered Horus. It wasn’t that farfetched that he would give a hand. “Okay so what was this about?”

_Just information on procedures since they wanted to know why I used a spell to summon intervention and plus I needed to get information on where to go so I could keep her out of it._

“Why would you need to keep Angie out of it? She knows how to respond to them.” That was a little puzzling to Sam. He knew that she would have gone in front and own up to everything.

_You know the answer to that Sam. Since you saw me and her, I am assuming that you would know the reason why. I am not blind. I knew that you saw what she did even though the details may have been hazy. You overheard that there was a danger if she stepped over the threshold she may never come back and she would have been on that train the fallen take._

“You don’t know that,” Sam replied. “Are you telling me this to reassure me and so you can impress her? If that is the case you’re gonna have to work a little harder than that but don’t you go hurting her.”

_I know what I’m talking about Sam. I don’t know what is up with you. It’s obvious you don’t trust me and your reaction tells me that there is a reason for it. You need to figure it out. Now the reason I called was because I was updating her on something that she was looking into. I’ve tried her number but it went straight to voicemail._

Sam listened and he wasn’t sure how to respond. At least he had the other side of things even if he didn’t like talking to the guy. It didn’t occur to him how Nick had gotten his number until he felt a second chill rush down his spine. He looked out the window and noticed the snowfall had increased. Something wasn’t right. He replied, “She had been out all day. How did you get this number?”


	6. Chapter 6

The snowfall hadn’t been too bad when she started. Now it was starting to fall a little thickly and Angela wondered if it was a sign of things. Or it could be related to the thing that she was hunting. That tidbit was rather a bit farfetched and part of a legend that she had uncovered. She looked around as her breath came out in puffs of smoke.

The woods were full of life. She saw a few bighorn sheep on the way up along with the other typical creatures. So far nothing out of the ordinary and she wondered if she had heard the old man correctly about which trail to take. Then again if it was a beast, it acted like others and came on its own time… sort of like a game of chance.

Angela checked her watch and smiled. Even though it was a few months old, it never failed to make her happy when she looked at it. She found herself looking at it mostly to be reminded of Dean when he got exasperated at her methods of telling time. She also found it handy when the weather didn’t allow for an accurate reading of the sun like it was doing now. Seeing that it was past noon, she decided it was time to take a short break and since they were at one of the places that one of the hikers went missing.

Angela dismounted and made sure that she had her shotgun and a handgun tucked into her pants. She also had some knives stashed on her and was probably overkill but considering what she might be up against, it wouldn’t hurt. Her boots crunched on the snow as she tied off the reigns of Starkhaven and gave him a pat on the neck.

Taking a systematic approach, she went to where the abandoned backpack was found and started looking around. Since time had passed, she wasn’t expecting to find much but keeping in mind what she had read of the reports, she could visualize where everything was. It was a pretty small area for a large creature but then she surmised that it snuck up on its victim. That could explain quite a bit on a few things.

Any tracks were long gone but that didn’t matter. There was a faint scent and it assaulted her olfactory senses like being hit by a two by four. It was rather a strange or brave new world since before she didn’t have as powerful a sniffer. It was like being put back through puberty triggered it. Like any new talent though, it had its ups and downs so sometimes the strength faded and then came back and it was hard to tell if she had been sniffing something that was recent or was as old as two days ago. She didn’t mention it since for one she didn’t want to go through the jokes and second she wanted to avoid the concerned looks that got thrown her way every time she made a blunder when putting her telekinetic abilities to use.

All Angela managed to find was some broken brush and upon sniffing it, she found that it was the thing and it was like she suspected. It had come upon the victim unsuspecting from the looks of things. Deciding to move on, Angela tramped back to the horse and remounted. This was only the first along this trail. What she was more anxious to get to was where Mr. Scout had been ambushed and find out what was so different that he survived and others didn’t.

The snow continued to fall steadily and created a sort of lonely atmosphere. The last time Angela had been in snow covered woods was back in the days of the old west. The Donner party expedition she was a part of and that was something else. She tried to help the fledgling party but of course it was easy for them to resort to cannibalism and a few turned into wendigos after disappearing for a time. Later she had to hunt them down.

Snowfall and snow covered woods were also beautiful. Even though that time had been hard with the Donner party, Angela found beauty and motivation to encourage survival. Plus it helped that she could hunt and she did teach a few of them how to track down animals. Out of habit, she reached up and touched the necklace Sam gave her, deriving some sort of comfort and at ease from just touching it. She recalled that she had been fingering it when she was studying the sigils on her room the night before.

Riding to the next spot had her think about her conversation with Sam and the things he said. They were hurtful and at the time she was being guided by the first reaction which was walking away but from force of habit she had been scrutinizing his behavior. It was a deep seated issue that had Sam behaving like he did and she had seen it before somewhat with Dean and some other she had met years previously. The whole thing started when she received that phone call from Nick and it vaguely occurred to her that Sam was being like a protective brother or something like that.

It was no secret that he took offense to anyone who decided that pinching her ass was fun. He didn’t even like it when she joined in on the hustling and took their heckling and that was expected given the nature of the game. He didn’t go all fists and feet since they were hustling for funds but that didn’t make him all nice about it. Dean was the same but more subdued, like he knew when it wasn’t to be taken serious. When they tagged up together though, they could be overbearing and overprotective big brothers. It was a surprise to her since she was the one usually doing the protecting and Dean did his thing in watching out for Sam.

It was something to think about as she took out a packet of mixed nuts and popped a small handful into her mouth. She had only had breakfast and that usually wasn’t good for a Halfling since their appetites were like large horses. She did though train her body to function on less and was just one more thing into blending in with humans.

Starkhaven gave a slight snort as he continued up the trail. Angela chewed on the nuts and smiled. She gave the horse a pat on the neck. Swallowing she said, “You are just an attention seeker aren’t you?”

The horse gave a low rumble as she came up to another spot. It was not the second line of victims but one of the more recent ones. From the report, a Karl and Mick were on their way up to Lake Como and they disappeared. They were expected back but when they didn’t show up for work, the alarm was sounded.

They found the backpacks of the two hikers a good twenty feet away from the trail. Her suspicion was that it was one of those nature’s call moments. When people were forced to go in places like the great outdoors, they tended to walk away from the areas with high foot traffic. Angela didn’t believe that they just upped and disappeared since people said that they were experienced hikers and the usual.

Like before she dismounted but tugged on the leading rein. Somehow she got the feeling that she would find something that would be more fruitful than the last few places she had taken a look at. She did manage to find a clearing that was a fair distance away but also offered privacy for nature’s call. She left Starkhaven at the edge of the clearing and stepped in to take a look. If anything was going to happen, it was going to be in there.

If Dean could see her now, he would be making comments about her playing like she was in those procedural cop shows that he hated with a vengeance. She gave a dry chuckle as she began a systematic search. One of the reasons why she was so good at the hunting game was because she paid attention to detail. There were tendencies and then there were exceptions to the rule so the difference came in the details. It was one of the reasons she was often labeled in the geek category like Sam whenever she gave information and facts about something mostly to annoy Dean.

She found that the thing had been there. Against all odds since it was still snowing and the snow was everywhere, she managed to find some more of those hairs. They were just like the hairs she had found on Ranger Jennings. This proved that this was a territory thing as well as hunting grounds. The thing was from the look of her map, it had grown larger over the past year. That meant that this wasn’t a free ranger. It meant that there was more than one.

Angela found it kind of odd that they would be in packs but then again few people were actually able to get up close and personal with one of these things. What was also strange was the location of the thing. By all accounts it shouldn’t even be here unless they were always there and no one has seen them before. Stranger things have happened in that sense.

Looking around, Angela gave a tentative sniff. The scent was strong; a bit stronger than the others indicating that it was fresher. She could make out the strong scents of adrenaline and it made her want to sink into that battle high she liked when she got going. Looking around she could make out broken branches that led deeper into the forest. One of the hikers got really scared and ran which was a big no-no when it came to large predators.

Standing up from her kneeling position Angela gave a slight shake. The snow was still coming down and it felt a lot colder than when she first started out. She would look to go find out about the hiker that took that direction and then gallop home. She would relay her info to the boys and they could pick it up again together. She walked over and guided Starkhaven who gave a nervous snort and she rubbed his neck. “Easy boy. I know you don’t like it here but I don’t sense anything. Come on.”

The horse followed as she guided him around the clearing to where the broken brush was. She then mounted and followed the direction of the broken brush. It was taking her away from the trail so she was going to be extra cautious since she might stumble upon one or the other of the thing they were hunting. She had her handgun in her pants and the rifle was within easy reach so it was some measure of security but not a guarantee; not on this job.

It was maybe about twenty minutes in when Angela noticed something on the ground. Starkhaven was a little nervous about approaching it but she brought him alongside it and peered down. It turned out to be the remains of maybe a sheep, possible a moose. It was a leg with a hoof and badly mangled. It wasn’t a fresh kill since there was no blood but it was fairly recent given that it wasn’t as desiccated and she had taken into account the environmental conditions. It had been ripped to shreds like Jennings so maybe there was more than one but a different eating habit?

Angela shivered as snow fell down the collar of her jacket. It reminded her that the snow was falling a bit thicker now. Glancing up at the sky she wondered if there was going to be a snowstorm. That may help in that it would restrict hikers and the like from going up here. It would also keep the thing from eating people unless it developed a taste and moved down towards civilization. That wouldn’t be good. She looked down and at the snowy landscape.

White snow was covering everything and the warm feeling of the animal she was riding; she couldn’t help but give a wry grin. _Echo Three to Echo Seven._ She couldn’t help but smile. Dean liked Star Wars since he used it for one of his phone accounts and she would tease him about it by using call signs. It was certainly a Hoth moment with all the snow and the chill as she looked around. She should be getting back. A glance at her watch confirmed that it was late in the afternoon. She had been gone that long? That was saying something about time flying.

Just as Angela was about to turn Starkhaven around, the animal started fighting her. Something was spooking him and he didn’t like it. Angela sniffed around and found that there was too much wet in the air. She struggled to keep Starkhaven from rearing up too much and try to get him to move. “Easy boy. Come on. Come on.”

She patted the neck of Starkhaven as he put his front hooves down and was willing to be led away. She glanced around when she was met with a sharp pain to her right and she was knocked from the saddle and fell to the ground hard. Angela could hear Starkhaven scream in fright and the pounding of hooves as he bolted.

Angela shook off the pain and found that she was on the ground. She felt blood from a cut on her forehead and her right shoulder burned and it was sore. She got to her feet and felt the hot breath blowing on the back of her head. She turned slowly to face the creature that she had hoped to avoid at this point. “Sonofabitch, it’s the damned yeti,” she muttered.

The yeti was huge and it was easy to see why it would be mistaken for Bigfoot even though no such thing existed. Yetis were like Arctic weasels. During summer months, their fur was a rich brown, and easy to mistake for grizzlies and in the winter their fur turned white. They also were native to the Himalayas and sightings were noted in Nepal. They had slightly longer arms which gave that loping movement apes did when they ran through the wilderness. There were no really good images of the yeti since they moved so fast. They were carnivorous but for the most part nothing threatening human populaces. Maybe some mutilated livestock like a chupracaba.

To Angela, this thing was huge and if there was more than one then she was in trouble. She had to get back down and warn the boys. It was never a good idea to look a beast in the eye because that said that you challenged it. Angela kept her head lowered but her eye on the yeti as she circled it and headed towards the path she had taken. She was almost there when she was tackled by a smaller yeti but the body block hurt all the same even though the snow cushioned the fall.

It was first reaction though as Angela grabbed a hold of the yeti’s fur and with her feet, she gave it a good kick in the midsection and let go. She put all her strength into it and was actually able to send the thing flying. She watched as it hit a tree and yelped in pain. That caused the adult to roar and Angela turned her head in that direction. “Uh oh. Mommy’s very angry.”

When the yeti started moving, Angela put her focus into channeling her powers. She wouldn’t totally vamp out but she needed to buy herself some time to get away. The yeti charged at her and she leapt to the side and went into a roll. She reached out with her senses and prepared for the next attack. She managed to find a tree branch which wouldn’t do much but would slow it down. She didn’t want to waste her ammunition since she still had the handgun.

She had been surprised that it hadn’t fallen out when the yeti struck her from behind. Now it was like an insurance policy if she couldn’t get away. Griping her branch, she got to her feet and began running. She couldn’t run away since the thing could overtake her easily even with her vamp speed. She would work on dodging for now and giving a few warning clouts. She doubted that it would work since ‘Mommy’ was angry that she hurt her cub.

She was right when Mommy charged at her. It was ridiculous to try and fight this thing but Angela had little choice. At least the adrenaline was up and she hardly felt the pain on her body as she moved. She did a weird diving motion as the yeti swept at her feet while at the same time she threw her branch at the yeti.

It hit it on the head and it seemed to stun it for a moment. That allowed for Angela to make it to some rocks that could carry some clout. She began throwing them at the yeti, making it roar in pain and anger since she was targeting what she was sure were sensitive areas; mainly the head and especially the ears. She was interrupted when she was tackled once again by the adolescent and she used her fists to get free from its grasp. It felt like when she gave in that one time to play a bit of tackle football with Christian’s recruits when they paid a visit after Nick left Bobby’s. She felt that tackle down into her muscles.

At one point it pinned her to the ground with its hands on her neck, effectively trying to choke her to death. Being a scrapper and giving into the urge to fight to live, Angela struck with her fists on occasion to the head of the yeti. They hurt and she knew that because it roared every time she hit it on the head.

Realizing that she wasn’t going to get anywhere with just using her fists, Angela decided to resort to the one thing that seemed to have grown exponentially. Even with the air slowly depleting from her lungs and the yeti roaring in her face, Angela was able to focus and channel her energy. She vaguely could recall how she did it against the Venator and she hoped that she would be able to try again.

Focusing, Angela moved her arms as best as she could like she would be doing when she practiced kata. When she was ready, she made an open palm strike to the yeti’s chest and with the force of her telekinetic ability, the yeti flew off and hit the ground and slid on the snow. That allowed Angela to get to her feet and she brought her hands up in that meditative pose she did when the boys tried to sneak up on her. She knew that the yetis were looking at a sort of human with glowing orbs and they were probably confused but Mommy would more likely be pissed.

Angela was right since the mother watched her offspring sail through the air and land hard on the ground. It looked back at her and gave an angry roar. Angela was ready though. When the yeti charged, she moved her arms like she was performing her hand to hand combat and by focusing her energy she was able to send powerful blows. The first stunned the mother and the second was actually able to send it flying. It didn’t sail like the adolescent but it made a point.

That didn’t stop the adolescent which seemed hell bent on drawing blood. Angela knew that she could only do so much. Maintaining her focus, she leapt away and grabbed a hold of another branch. This time it was longer and sharpened at one end. Using similar movements, she was able to use the branch like a staff and with her abilities, they were much more painful. That didn’t stop the adolescent however and it swiped at her.

Angela backed up to avoid the claws. She was already cut and she didn’t need any more otherwise she would be in serious trouble. She countered the swipes until she used the staff to vault her into the air. She landed on the adolescent and naturally followed through by stabbing it with the sharp end. She used all her strength to drive it into the heart of the beast and for good measure brought out her handgun and shot a round into the skull.

It was a relief but it wasn’t. Mommy was pissed. She had seen Angela kill her offspring and now it was out for blood. As much as Angela didn’t want to kill and adolescent, it had tasted human blood. Like man eating bears, it had to be put down and in this case the mother needed to be put down as well. However it looked like she wasn’t going to have that chance since Mommy was charging ferociously at her. Angela did the thing that was often considered unwise: she turned and ran.

It was stupid to run blind but Angela knew she had to divert the yeti away and she needed to find a point where she would have the advantage. She remembered the way to the trail and she remembered the topography of the area. There were some cliffs from the hills. If she could lure the yeti there and get her to fall over, then she had a chance. The fall alone should be able to kill it but if not, it would provide the means of Angela getting back to the trail and back down towards Darby.

Angela studied the brush as she shifted directions. She knew the mother was pissed at her since she heard the thrashing behind her. If this had been a movie, the film would have been put in slow motion as she ran through the trees with the yeti behind her roaring and smashing several over. It would be entertaining for an action film but Angela was not amused. She turned a couple of times after grabbing a few rocks to throw them at the yeti.

Some of the missiles missed since she was running. Some of them hit but it only seemed to make the yeti much more. It did manage to slow the beast down since she had to swap at them while she was running and she had to swerve to avoid colliding into trees and boulders. Still Angela pressed on until she was cuffed on the side.

She flew through the air and hit one of the trees. She could hear the crack of her ribs upon impact and she fell to the ground. She muttered, “Mommy is really very angry.”

Slowly she staggered to her feet and looked to see where the thrashing was coming from. Rubbing her ribs she turned in the direction she was heading and started jogging. She would get her wind back. At least the yeti’s strength had put some distance between her and the beast. She sucked in some air and added a burst but made sure she could hear Mommy and bring her in close.

The ravine was a steep drop and there was a lot of snow. An avalanche could easily be started under the right conditions and Angela didn’t want to do that. She was still well ahead as she stopped at the edge, knowing that there was nowhere else to go. She heard the snapping of branches and turned to see Mommy emerge. She was pissed and ready to kill.

Angela had to time this just right and prepared to move. She looked at the beast and said, “Come on. Come and get me.”

Mommy yeti roared as it paced in front of Angela. It seemed to be contemplating what to do with her. It eyed her warily.

“Come and get me. You know you want to,” Angela goaded. She was hoping that the beast would get the hint and charge.

Mommy roared some more as it inched its way closer. It had its prey. It would charge and kill this thing that killed her baby.

Angela reached for her gun. She would take aim carefully and aim for the head. She held at her side. It felt like the old quick draw duels she had been goaded into. This time though she had to be the fastest.

The yeti gave a final roar and charged. Angela jerked up her gun and held it steady. She had to wait for the right moment. Too soon and it wouldn’t be effective. Too late and she was food for the buzzards. She took aim at the target she intended.

At the last possible moment, Angela fired, emptying the clip. The beast roared as each bullet struck true. It was still charging towards her and to the edge. Angela made a jump but was caught by a last swipe. She was sent skidding along the snow until she hit a tree… well a broken tree. She watched as the yeti slide over the edge with a final roar and it grew faint.

Angela took a couple of deep breaths as she slowly turned her body over to get to her feet. She had barely gotten to her knees when something cracked. The broken tree was collapsing and it would land right on top of her. Angela scrambled to get away but misplaced her hand and slipped down a slope. She rolled down until she reached the bottom with a painful thud. The last thing she saw was a piece of the broken tree falling down towards her.

****

“Well Sam. I guess we better wait for her until she gets back. Old man Scout said that she was heading up the trail.” Dean joined his brother and gave him a slap on the shoulder in an effort to reassure his brother that everything was okay.

Sam heard his brother but his attention was towards the trail that led up into the wilderness. He had a chill down his spine except that he was bundled up in his usual jacket. Ever since Nick explained things, he had been more than anxious to talk to Angela about it and apologize. They had tracked down the survivor and had been given the same story she had been given. The old man had been generous with compliments about her.

Sam couldn’t put a finger on it but that feeling he was feeling now was just like back in Cold Oak. He replied, “I don’t know Dean.” He would have said more when that prickly feeling became sharp in his mind like a bad migraine. He rubbed the back of his head hard trying not to let it bother him.

Dean noticed though and rushed to check his brother over. “Sam?”

“I think Angie’s in trouble.”


	7. Chapter 7

Dean wasn’t sure of what to make of it. Sam never told him about his needle sharp prickly feeling before. The obvious question was the demon. “Is it related to Yellow Eyes?”

Sam frowned as he finished rubbing his head. The last time he had that prick that was that sharp was in Cold Oak. How he associated it with Angela was something of a bit of a mystery to him bit maybe it had to do with the feeling he got earlier. He replied, “No, not really. This is like the second time and it’s like an annoying tick or something.”

Dean studied his brother. He was grateful that Sam finally pulled his head out of his ass to get on the case. He had come back with grub to hear Sam talking on his phone. His brother sounded clipped but his words weren’t angry or anything like that. He opened the door but Sam had finished his conversation then and didn’t express too much interest in eating. Rather Sam asked if Dean wanted to talk to the survivor.

Now they were there and throughout the whole thing, Sam paid attention to everything about what the old man said. It turned out to be a lengthy conversation and it was late in the afternoon when the old man wrapped up his conversation. Dean was impatient to get going but Sam seemed intent on getting every last detail. Afterwards Sam asked to look around, using his usual charm and expressing interest.

“You seem to be a horse man like the young lady that borrowed one of my mounts,” Mr. Scout said.

Dean didn’t know anything about that. He and Sam had never really been on a horse before so he thought the old man was off his rocker. However Sam milked the chance by implying that he did know something and it worked. The old man let them look at his stables and revealed that Angela had borrowed a mount to go up the trails.

It was there that Sam stood outside looking up the trail as the snowfall grew thicker. It was there that he got that prickle and at that moment there was a high pitched whinny. Both brothers looked up to see a black horse running towards them like something was chasing it.

Dean automatically moved. When he turned, he found that Sam was still there. “Sam, move your ass! Sam!”

Sam heard his brother but he didn’t move. He spotted something on the saddle horn. He would recognize it anywhere. It was instinct for him to hold up his hands even though he was sure that he was going to be trampled. He barely registered his brother shouting at him as he stood his ground and barely kept his eyes open even though it was instinct for him to shut them.

The horse stopped and raised its hooves in agitation but it didn’t run Sam over. It stomped its feet and snorted and looked Sam in the eye. Little by little the horse calmed down until it just did little agitated steps and left Sam there staring at it with his flabbergasted expression.

“Damn Sam. How did you do that?”

Sam moved slowly to grab the leading rein and reached up to touch the animal. He looked at the animal and then at the gear still on the saddle. “I don’t know.” As soon as he said it, he felt a hard smack to the back of his head. He turned a bitch face towards Dean. “Dude, what the hell was that for?”

“For doing something stupid,” Dean replied in his authoritative big brother tone. He looked at Sam and gave a slight grin. “Wow, I never thought the head smack would work coming from me.”

“Whatever, jerk,” Sam replied scowling at Dean. He turned towards the horse and petted him trying not to spook him. He looked over at the gear and saw what had caught his eye. “Dean,” he called to his brother without looking and took the chakram off. He held it up for Dean to see. “She wouldn’t leave this behind.”

Dean took the chakram out of Sam’s hands and looked it over. His brother was right. Angela would never leave her chakram behind. It was a part of her like Absolution was. He looked at the horse and asked, “Anything else unusual?”

Sam held the reins and looked at what was still on the saddle. He found a rifle and a shotgun and basic trail provisions. “Looks like all of her gear is here.”

“You know that she wouldn’t just let the horse wander back Sam. Not if it has all her gear and shit,” Dean replied. He turned to see the old man come out of the house. Damn. This was going to be hard to explain.

Meanwhile Sam had been looking at the saddle. He noticed some deep gouges and something that he hoped wasn’t what he thought it was. He peered closer and his eyes widened slightly. “Dean, take a look at this.”

Dean lowered the chakram to lean over and take a look at what Sam was looking at. He nearly paled at the sight. It was faint but it was unmistakable. He couldn’t help but ask, “Is that what I think it is?”

Sam knew what it was and he knew Dean knew. A sudden worst case scenarios ran through his mind and it involved her losing the horse and was injured. The worst was her bleeding out and that spelled trouble. “It’s blood.”

Dean heard the pause in Sam’s voice. He knew what Sam was thinking now. “Hold on Sam. We don’t know everything. She could have gotten a small cut or a nosebleed.”

Sam looked at his brother as if he were insane. “Are you serious? Since when have you known her to get a small cut on nothing?”

“Calm down Sam. We don’t want to upset the old man on the porch there. He’s watching us so try not to panic.” Dean patted the horse’s neck and nudged Sam to move.

Sam took Dean’s lead and led the horse back to the stables. Mr. Scout was there waiting. He looked at the horse and then the boys and said, “Looks like Starkhaven took a spook and left that young lady behind.”

It was a bit of humor to hear the old man refer to Angela as a young lady. It was about as humorous as Bobby calling her that. It calmed Dean though as he replied, “She’s our friend. Do you have any idea if she mentioned where she was going? We can call the ranger station and find her.”

Mr. Scout studied the boys. He never suspected them to be friends with the nice young lady who thought he was not crazy. They were different but then again opposites attract as so his daughter always told him. Plus he could see concern etched on the taller of the two’s face but he thought he could also see a bit of guilt. He replied, “Well I told her that there were numerous trails up there, all approved for hiking. Depends on where ya want to go. Thing was she was more interested in exactly what I saw and what I was doing.”

Dean glanced at Sam and the look his brother gave told him that they had to go back to the board. Since the old man mentioned that there were numerous trails up there, the first impulse he and Sam had was out the window. He looked at the old man, “Thanks. Um, we’ll take her stuff and um…”

“Kyle can take care of the tack.”

Right on cue Kyle came out and started undoing the cinches. Mr. Scout came up to inspect the horse and noticed that Sam was still holding the lead rein. He had seen him stop Starkhaven and was impressed. Starkhaven was temperamental and only took to certain kinds of people. He said, “Well when you boys got your route planned, give me a call. You can use my horses. They’re better suited for the trails I was on if you want to get up there quick.”

Sam thought it was a godsend. “Thank you Mr. Scout.” He could barely contain his excitement as they walked to the Impala. It overshadowed his worried feeling but not by much. He sat tight lipped as Dean started the engine to head back to the inn they were staying at.

Dean knew that Sam was excited at the offer. At least though they had transportation since he couldn’t take his baby up there and he could get a jeep from that Ranger Wilkes. Though his main concern was the fact that she was stuck out there alone and in the snow and he could feel the temperature drop. He tried to figure out a way to inform Sam that they had to be fast without causing panic.

“Did she give you a spare key?”

Dean glanced at Sam. “No. You might have to pick the lock.” He heard his brother make a small hum. He had to tell Sam. “You’ll need to be fast because it’s getting cold.”

“I know Dean. It’s called exposure and if she is hurt, that could make it worse.” Sam stared straight ahead. “Maybe she left an idea of where she was going. She would have to.”

“I hope so Sammy,” Dean replied softly. For his brother’s sake, he hoped so.

****

The cold was a good thing to wake up to since it made the nerves come alive in shock. Yet it was terribly cliché in the movies like that _Alien vs. Predator_ movie. Angela opened her eyes the moment she felt the cold of the snow and moved her eyes around to get a better sense of her surroundings. It was best to start nice and slow.

Moving her eyes, she saw the familiar crystalline white of snow to her left and to the right she saw sky. At first she was puzzled as to why she was lying down on the ground but as she started moving slowly to ascertain any damages and maybe figure out a way to actually get back to the trail and start walking back to worried and scolding Winchesters.

Moving her head and upper body, Angela was able to see that she had landed at a weird angle and looking up at the slope, she could see why. Sore throughout her body, she moved her limbs to see if anything was broken. Well anything besides the cracked ribs from the angry mommy that went over the ravine.

The head was okay except for the scratch from the first cuff and the scratches on the back of her right arm and back of the rib cage. Cracked ribs from the cuffing and a sore neck from nearly being choked to death added to the list but the throat was okay. Now was the time to wonder why there seemed to be a weight on her legs.

Managing to sit up Angela brushed the snow off of her and saw that she was pinned beneath a very large tree. It didn’t take a genius to tell her that it was the tree that mommy yeti had broken and it snapped and rolled down. Being practical about it, Angela dug through the snow to ascertain the damage as well as see if she was going to be able to get out.

The fact that she could still move her legs was a good thing. Digging through the snow, Angela realized that it had been deep enough and saved then from getting crushed by the blasted tree. Sighing she continued to dig only to find that it felt like she was sinking while digging. That wasn’t good since she would be out there longer than necessary which was also a bad thing. She flopped down on her back while letting out a sigh of exasperation.

_Come on Angie. I’ve seen you lift me and Sam as dead weight._

Angela gave a chuckle and a smile as she lay on the ground and contemplated how to get out of this mess. It wasn’t like she could lift the tree. It was too big and heavy and even if she were Superman, she didn’t have the proper leverage to lift the damn thing. She moved to put her hands behind her head when they bumped against something.

Reaching around to grab it, she found the Beretta that she had fired at the yeti. It was a small victory to actually still have a weapon. It provided some measure of security but it was totally useless in actually getting her free. Pulling it to within easy reach, Angela sighed and flopped back down. She tried wriggling her legs but that didn’t help and actually brought back bad memories of the last time her movement was that restricted.

Fighting down the old panic, Angela looked up into the sky. The snow was still falling and it was still light outside. She glanced at her watch and was doubly surprised to find that it had not been broken in the fall. She almost felt like bursting into tears for no other reason except for the fact that it was like a sign or something that said that things were going to be okay. Well she could hear Dean saying that and it made her wonder if it was a lucky watch or not. Then again in her experience there was no such thing as luck.

Either way, it was like having Dean there and when she reached up, she found that her necklace was still there. She had both of them there if not physically, at least symbolically. She would figure out a way to get out from under this heavy load of a tree.

“Maybe I should try the old fashioned way and call for help,” Angela said to herself in a fit of humor. “It would certainly make me fell better if not common sense.”

At that moment there was a chittering noise and Angela looked around. She wrapped her fingers around her gun before she realized that she had emptied the clip into the yeti before her fall. Popping the clip open to look to check and make sure she was locked and loaded, she found that it was empty and muttered, “Pendejo.”

Normally if she had said something again to calling herself an idiot in another language one or both boys would either laugh at her or look at her for saying something that ‘colorful.’ It was a force of habit and a result of being fluent in multiple languages. She once swore in Russian because that was the only word that came to her at the time. However if she was really agitated, she found that she reverted back to her native Italian. Luckily she hadn’t done that so far.

Since the clip was empty, Angela wriggled to try and get her jacket out from under her so she could reach for the spare clips that she had stashed in there along with shotgun rounds. The noise turned into rustling and she heard a rumble. Great so a larger animal was coming along. With her luck it would be a grizzly.

Finally she managed to wrestle a clip out and upon checking it she snapped it into place in her gun. Now she was locked and loaded and she was a good shot. She could kill with one shot and she did when she learned how to go on a turkey hunt years ago when the West was in the process of being won. Of course she had practice with the worst guns imaginable that predated Civil War and the invention of rifling.

The rustling continued and Angela held her gun in one hand and listened for the source of the rustling. Even though being pinned seriously impeded her ability to move into the position she would have wanted, she could still make the most of it and defend herself without agitating something that could kill her. She held the gun steady and pointed at the brush and waited for whatever it was to come out.

The wait seemed in terminable as the rustling got louder and louder. That meant it was coming. In the back of her mind the situation looked like something out of one of those really bad horror movies. Angela wasn’t going to panic like how those pimply faced teenagers did it in those films. She held her hand steady and waited… and waited.

The rustling continued and then something burst out. It was small and wooly. Angela blinked at the sight and let out a groan of exasperation. She was getting in arms over a stupid bighorn and not even an adult but an adolescent. She looked over at it as it looked at her and narrowed her eyes in sarcasm, “Thanks for the heart attack you overgrown coat.”

The sheep looked at her as it turned to eating from the brush. It made a slight bleating sound as it chewed on the brush it had just come out of. A bird landed on its back making the twittering noise and looked all around.

Angela lay on the snow and shook her head. Of all the things that would jump out of the brush like a bad horror film and she got stuck with the bighorn and the bird. She sighed and looked back at them. “Well at least there was some excitement. So says the one that is trapped beneath this dang tree.”

She flipped the safety on and moved her gun to the inside of her jacket. She looked around and sat back up to assess the situation again. She could dig herself out and that proved the most viable even though she would be sinking in the ground as she dug. The only other option was to wait for a rescue from the boys. When she didn’t show up, they would probably look in her room and start asking questions and Dean would probably try to find the means to get the Impala up here. Yeah right on that account.

The problem with waiting was that it meant that she would be stuck out there and she could feel the temperature dropping. It was going to be a cold night and while she could certainly last a bit longer than an average human in weather like this, she wasn’t willing to give that a try. At the moment though it seemed like there was no choice. She was stuck there until someone came and since she was so far off the trail, they probably wouldn’t think to go out this far unless the damage was that great.

It then occurred to her that it could take longer than that. She didn’t really tell Dean where she was going when she sent him that text. It had seemed like a good idea at the time since one or both would have insisted on going and if they met up with the yetis, then she would have had the problem of making sure that they were safe. She would have had to do it when they actually went on the hunt but she didn’t think she could have handled going through it twice.

Using her hands as supports to lean on, she looked around. The stupid bighorn was still chowing down on the bush and that damn bird was chirping like crazy. The sheep looked at her and she said, “I suppose you don’t happen to have a rope and you can pull me out?”

That really wasn’t an option but being sarcastic with the animal made her feel better. She really didn’t want to think about the implications that she could get hypothermia and maybe die before she was found. It was not a pleasant set of thoughts but it also served as a means to fuel her desire to live. So Angela sighed and looked at the sheep and then flopped back down in the snow.

_I think I might be making a permanent impression here._

Angela stared up at the sky trying not to become too annoyed at the snowflakes that were falling into her face. It had lightened up considerably since she tangled with mommy yeti. Well that was one thing she could add to her resume. She could definitely add killing a yeti to it. She had never seen one before and it was really strange that they were here but they were. Then again it wasn’t that dissimilar from the chupracaba that she hunted in Canada. That was a story to tell and she might once she got back down this blasted mountain.

Right now though she needed to think. Lying still on the ground, Angela slowed her exasperated breathing and stared up at the sky. She put her hands on her abdomen and started to space out like she did when she was deep in thought. She was greeted with the urge to close her eyes but there were some things in this sort of situation you didn’t do. When she closed her eyes, she had the urge to go to sleep and when you did that in the cold… She could think like what happened in the movie Titanic. Brushing that off though, she made herself comfortable and instead focused on the stupid sheep and the bird and then extended outwards. She listened to her surroundings and out of the force of habit, she began humming.

She hadn’t hummed to the sounds of nature since her birthday. Thinking about it reminded her of that night with Sam and their talk. She felt her hand move up to play with the pendant portion. She hoped that he didn’t change his mind about her since his gesture and what he said meant more than the most expensive gift in the world. She was still humming and she couldn’t help but close her eyes. _I hope you and your brother find me Sam._

****

It was a lonely life living in the woods but it was better than picking off the humans. The others thought it was easy pickings and a steady supply of food but it was just disgusting. Animals tasted better and it was part of the natural order of things. To acquire a taste for humans… that was the ultimate taboo.

For years he managed to hunt them and make the numbers dwindle. However she was the hardest to kill and she had a young one she was teaching. He had to stop them but going against a mother was just asking for trouble.

The last time he fought her, she gave him a beating and relegated him to the depths of the forest that were full of wildlife. It was her way for sneering at him for his preferences. Well he stuck to his guns and lived out there. He also stuck to the duty that he appointed himself that led to his mate and offspring’s demise against the others.

He ventured back to the trails and tried to help the humans. Most didn’t make it. She had taught the young one well and they worked together. He tried to help those two boys. One was killed instantly and the other was crippled so the young one could practice. It was saddening to see the humans flounder like that. In his old homeland, the humans respected his kind and treated them with respect. True they may have been frightened by them but they didn’t try to kill them. Sometimes a few members of his old clan would help the ones who got lost and stranded.

However there were those that did attack humans. Some ate them after tasting first blood and others just killed because of some wrong done to them. It was an unfortunate thing but that was how nature worked its course. You couldn’t argue with it or try to cheat it scott free. His clan though had relatively a good life until that wretched being tricked his hunting party and they ended up here.

He knew the being was evil. He could smell it in his blood but it was too late and they were stranded there. They were probably going to be made his entertainment. Well most of his party stayed true. That winter though was hard and that was when some turned to picking off hikers and the humans that patrolled the areas.

At least one did get away. It was an elder and he felt the urge to save him. They always respected the elders since they understood them and their ways. He cut her off and made his stand and fought her. She put up a good fight. They made a lot of noise and tore up much of the area in their fight. However she backed down when he threatened her young one.

Then that one came. She was not like the others. She was riding an animal like the ones he hunted but smaller and no trees on their heads. She wasn’t looking for a good time like the others. Rather she appeared to be searching for something.

He was a good hunter and when it became apparent that she was searching for the mother, he followed. He could see that she was out to kill the mother and the young one. He sniffed and she didn’t seem like the other humans and she didn’t smell like that wretched being.

He knew the fight happened since he saw the wreckage as he ran through. He could smell blood on the air. It was the strange human’s and the mother’s and the young one’s blood. He had to find out what happened and so he followed. He only hoped that she wouldn’t feel the need to turn on him if she was alive. He wouldn’t blame her and maybe things would be normal here. He kept to the route and looked around until he came to a point he knew well.


	8. Chapter 8

“So you’re saying that we would need a small army to go looking for her?” Dean looked at Ranger Wilkes trying to be clear on what the forest ranger was telling him.

“Mr. Scout is right. There are literally dozens of trails and not all of them on official maps that fall within the area of the attacks,” Georgia replied trying to calm the man down. She could see that he was very worried and he had every right to be. The longer they sat on this and if their friend was in trouble, there was the high probability of hypothermia and worse.

“And you don’t have the man power to search all of them,” Dean replied trying not to be sarcastic. Ranger Wilkes had done nothing wrong. She knew the area better than he did and she knew what the job entailed when looking for someone.

“Budget thing and I don’t want to go into that,” Georgia replied.

“Well the horse came back. Could it… I don’t know, lead the way?”

Georgia raised her brow at that. Did he think that horses were like dogs? Well she had heard of instances were animals other than dogs were able to find people. His idea did have some merit but there were problems with that. She replied, “It could work but horses aren’t like dogs Dean. Even if the horse could pick up the trail, Starkhaven is not known for taking to just anybody.”

Dean gave a slight toss of his head trying to cover for the slight embarrassment over the suggestion. “Well Sam and I can handle that. He seemed to like us well enough.”

Georgia felt bad for Dean and she was worried too. She knew that Angela was capable of many things. She saw her tackle the werewolf that left her scarred. There wasn’t much she could do except to tell him to narrow the search corridor. She did have one idea though she didn’t know how well it would sit. She replied, “Well maybe that would help and maybe I can get the local PD to loan us their trackers. How well that would work, I can’t say since it is expected to remain snowing the rest of the day and all night.”

That wasn’t what Dean wanted to hear. He and Sam were determined to find her and male sure that she was okay. That blood on the saddle and the small drops on the chakram were too much of a coincidence or whatever. “If we can narrow the search area, what would it take in terms of actually searching?”

“Well I know you and your brother will want in and I’ll help plus I can bring one other. That should be plenty. You said Scout said you could borrow his mounts right?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“While I can bring a jeep up, it would be a roundabout way and that could take some time especially in the storm. We can travel directly on horseback up,” Georgia explained. She got the feeling that Dean was one operating on a sense of urgency and it gave her the feeling that he knew something that she didn’t. She would do her best to accommodate him. At least he was cooperating with the forestry.

Dean shuffled on his feet slightly as he thought about his options. Sam was working on the search area right now. He wasn’t completely thrilled at the prospect of riding a horse but if he had to he would. Maybe when they found her, they would have some laughs about him sitting on the thing. Right now it was the best bet. He looked at the ranger and replied, “We’ll narrow it down and get back to you. Thanks Ranger Wilkes.” He held out his hand.

Georgia took his hand and gave it a firm shake. “Georgia. Good luck Dean. We’ll find her.”

Dean had been leaving when she said that. He paused and turned slightly to reply, “I know we will.” He walked out and headed towards the Impala rubbing his hands to warm them up. The temperature certainly was getting colder, certainly colder than the night he and Angela talked. She said it wouldn’t bother her but if the temperature kept dropping… how much longer would she last? He hurried to get back to the inn and his brother.

It had been a long afternoon. After leaving the Scout property, they went back to their room to try and figure out where she might be up there. Sam wasted no time and grabbed his set of lock picks and walked with a purpose to Angela’s room. Dean had been hard pressed to keep up since his brother had this determination set about his shoulders.

It had been easy to pick the lock and open the door. Dad certainly made them practice enough and they got it down to an art to make it look like they had the keys to the lock. Sam entered first and headed towards the standard issue table. Dean meanwhile stepped in slowly and took a look around the room. He had been in her room numerous times at the various seedy motels they stayed in but he never really got to look around. He heard somewhere that how a person keeps their things was a sign of their personality or something. He was curious about hers.

He noticed the made bed. She was so like Sam when it came to staying in a motel. Her bags were arranged in a certain order that Dean had picked up on when they were last at Bobby’s. The room was neat and orderly and gave the impression of serious OCD but Dean knew that most of it was stemmed from the discipline of hunting and he could give a hand to her previous lives and the need for order etcetera.

The room looked like it was giving the appearance of someone living here but it didn’t look like it. It made Dean wonder if that was how she saw herself. She lived but didn’t set herself a part of that world or some philosophical shit like that. It certainly put into perspective how she interacted with others. Yet when she was with him and Sam, she made the effort to be a part of their lives and she always asked their opinions. It was strange and it was creepy that he could come to that conclusion. That stuff was usually Sam’s territory and the thought occurred to Dean making him wonder if Sam was seeing what he was seeing.

In the middle of his thoughts, Sam interrupted him and pointed to the far wall that was near the door to the bathroom. It was covered with a large map and marked with circles in red. Next to it were some sketches from memory and some of those hairs that they saw at the coroner’s. Her computer pad was propped up and facing outwards. Sam brought the computer out of hibernation and the last thing that was on it popped up. It had them both staring at the wall with a frown.

Dean had decided to leave Sam there to narrow down where she might have gone since there were circles all over the place. He went to the ranger station to talk to Georgia Wilkes. He figured that Sam needed the peace and quiet to do his Sam thing with computers and mapping. Plus maybe his brother could work out that tension that had built up on the way back after liberating her stuff from the horse.

Dean noticed the coffee shop and decided he needed coffee to warm up. He would bring Sam a cup too since he probably wouldn’t think to make any. Thinking about his brother led to what happened when Sam rubbed the back of his head so viciously. His brother said that he had that feeling once before and that was at Cold Oak and that... thing. It was out of place but then maybe in the grand scheme of things it made some sense.

Sam was one of Yellow Eyes’ psychics and he did have visions. Maybe it was residual of it or maybe it had something to do with energies of the universe. When he left, he called Bobby and explained what had happened. He took care not to mention what had happened and that they had ‘lost’ Angela. That would have probably sent the old hunter off and he would have ridden anything short of a tornado to get here and help. The grizzled hunter agreed to look into it and Dean thanked him. He had yet to hear back from him and if they went up there, he knew that he wouldn’t get anything since cell reception was virtually nonexistent. He hoped Sam was having better luck.

****

Sam sat at the table studying the map but not really looking at it. He had been that way for the past hour, maybe two. There were attacks all over the place which made it hard to narrow down where Angela may have gone. “What did you see that I can’t?” he muttered to himself.

Feeling tired and not willing to give up, he switched his attention to the database entry that she had last pulled up. A search revealed that she had been stonewalled like he had with the Bigfoot entries. However the last one looked serious but like the Bigfoot joke, it was completely out of place and Sam wondered how she came to that conclusion.

The database revealed that what caused the deaths was a yeti, a beast native to the Himalayas and there have been sighting in Nepal. They were hairy which explained the hairs and were pretty strong. There were no pictures but Sam had the sketches and he could conclude that they were Angela’s own doing.

They were actually pretty good and she followed the details that Mr. Scout had given her when she questioned him. She wrote the description in her neat handwriting that looked like it was engraved. Even when she printed, it looked elegant.

Looking back at the map, Sam followed the strings that led to each of the killings. They all went to a set of notes she had taken from each of the reports. He looked at them and back at the map. “What did you see? Where did you go?”

As he stared at the map Sam got to thinking about his behavior. In light of everything, no matter what anyone said, it was ultimately his fault that she was out there alone. True he could make the case that she had gone off on her own and there were things she did on the side for **those** guys. However he knew he had been an ass and he could admit it.

Nick was right. It was a deep seated issue and the truth was that he cared about her like he cared about Dean. Age factor aside, she was like an older sibling who gave him the time of day no matter what was on her mind and she shared things like he did. She did the same with Dean and his brother may hotly deny it but Sam knew that Dean wouldn’t allow just anyone to pinch his cheek or tousle his hair.

Seeing Nick kiss her and then the phone calls, Sam knew he had been a jerk and maybe it was jealousy since it took time away from anything they could be doing whether it was a job or a prank or just a bit of R&R. Plus he didn’t like seeing her hurt and he and Dean both knew that she was new to completely opening up in a close relationship. Most people that she had met she was friendly but not close. When she broke down when she got shot… that was glimpse that she was vulnerable and she put up that shield to protect herself.

Sam sighed as he rested his head on his hand as he continued to stare. At least she was herself with him and Dean. That reserve came down about as fast as she could move when she applied her abilities and she would be laughing. Her reserve only went up when she was bothered by something so bad that she felt the need to protect them from it. The Sam saw it, she was family and granted that it was a bit of a short time, hell what was a year or so anyway, she meant a lot.

She was a good person. That much hadn’t changed in Sam’s opinion. She didn’t deserve what he gave because Dean was right. She had a life before she hooked up with them and she was bound to meet someone who would spark her interest. He was just going to have to suck it up and be there if things didn’t work out.

The cell phone in his pocket vibrated and Sam pulled it out. It was Dean. “Dean.”

_You figure out which way yet?_

Sam looked at the map. “Not yet.”

_Sam we’re running low on time. Georgia said that the snowfall was supposed to last into the night and the temperature will drop._

“I know Dean but there are a dozen trails she could have taken. People hike them for recreation.” Out of habit, Sam shrugged his shoulders even though Dean couldn’t see him. He flipped the webpage to the last page she had up and got up to stand back and stare at everything in perspective. Maybe he would get lucky.

_I know that._

Sam heard the exasperated tone in his brother’s voice. He figured he must have heard the same thing from Ranger Wilkes when he went over to the station. He steadied his voice so as not to fuel Dean’s anxiousness, “Dean, I’ve been looking at the initial part that leads to the wilderness area. That’s where it becomes tricky.”

_Well make it untricky. Better yet why don’t you ask Scout which one would be most likely?_

Sam had started pacing at this time. He knew Dean was venting. That was a Dean thing and if she were here she would have mollified him with a piece of pie and talk to him in a coddling voice. There would have been laughs all around. He turned and looked at the map again. His eyes drifted to where she had notes on the old man’s attack.

_Sam? Sammy? You still there?_

“I’m here Dean,” Sam replied as he looked at the map. That was it. She would have gone with the one thing that was different from all the rest. He couldn’t help but smirk. It was almost like when she would purposely be evasive when she had one of culinary surprises just to only have it be something simple like mac and cheese.

_Well you mind filling me in? The silence is deafening even with everyone here at this joint._

“Which should be loud enough for you,” Sam replied as he leaned forward. He found where the actual wilderness area began of the Selway-Bitterroot area and then followed with his eyes and finger up the way. The trail passed by one of the more recent ones. She would have probably gone over the area and did her thing like sniff it out.

_Very funny Sam. You’re a regular comedian when you’re not being an ass._

“Whatever, jerk,” Sam replied as he finished following the trail. She may have reached the place where Mr. Scout had been attacked. She would have made it her business to make it there and see what was going on. “You’re sense of humor stays in the gutter.”

_Fine, bitch. No coffee for you._

Sam gave a dry chuckle and a smirk. He knew that Dean didn’t mean it. His brother would bring him coffee and make a mocking apology about how it wasn’t the double latte with whipped cream or whatever Dean made it out to be. He always drank his coffee black when on a job since there were few places that could make a fairly decent cup of coffee. He replied, “You better bring it because I think I know exactly which way she went.”

_You found it? Sam? Sam!_

Sam was half listening to his brother. He marked the area on the map. When his brother shouted on the phone, he replied, “Yeah I found it… well where to start looking.”

_That’s better than nothing. I’m coming back._

“Yeah sure,” Sam replied, not really paying attention. He was still staring at the map when he hung up. He turned and saw Absolution leaning against the wall. It almost seemed to gleam at him like he was making the right choice.

****

_She wears a gown of silvered light And dances daintily as a sight…_

Angela started up at the sky as she recited that poem she once composed off the top of her head when she actually went to college. She decided on history and art history for her major and she got pretty good laughs when she showed up the professors that were dicks. That poetry class though was an elective.

She was ready to graduate but she needed an excuse to stay in school. She was interested in an art class since she was a good artist. However the professor whose class she wanted to join said that she should expand her horizons. He had noticed that on occasion she would quote poetry when she painted and suggested that she take a poetry class.

So she signed up for the class. As it turned out, it was like her other artistic talents; she was a natural with it. So she did enough to get by in the class and she passed but those who actually hung around her new the extension of her talent. That particular line was one she had begun composing about a winter’s solstice night.

Angela sighed and said out loud, “It was one of those instances.” She looked over at the bighorn that was still there. She glanced at her watch and it had been almost an hour or so she thought. Since the animal couldn’t talk, she responded to the motions the animal made, “Like you can say anything about it.”

The cold had started to seep in. Well she could feel it on her legs since it felt like they were being pressed into the snow. She was still mostly warm but she was no closer to finding a solution to getting out of her predicament. She closed her eyes and started humming a tune; a nearly lost and forgotten tune.

_The lights were bright even though it was candlelight. Father had said that she would always have some sensitivity to light; a tradeoff for the ability to see at night. He did say that it would get better with time. As she got older, she would find less need to shield her eyes from the sun._

_She blinked and squinted feeling a tender soreness in her back. Her eyes darted around looking for a familiar face. She looked for Father hoping to see that calm reassurance; that everything would be all right even if she was not completely human._

_“Cat?”_

_She blinked slowly and turned towards the voice. That soreness was still there but her eyes lighted on a familiar face. “Mio fratello.”_

_Gabriel smiled down at her but there was something off about that smile. He knew something and he was trying to keep it from her. Maybe she did want to know and maybe she didn’t. She did know that if she pushed it, he wouldn’t lie to her. He said, “That was a close call. They almost got us.”_

_She looked around. Something wasn’t right. Someone was missing. “Father? Where’s Father?”_

_“Calm down Cat. You just woke up.”_

_She was having none of it. She sat up and winced from the soreness in her back. Gabriel tried to get her to lay back down but she didn’t want to. She looked around. He wasn’t there. If everything was fine, he would be there. They were all they had since Mother died._

_She swung her legs over the edge of the cot and stood up slowly. She winced as she went through the motions. Gabriel didn’t try to stop her. He must have read something in her expression as she moved around the underground apartment that belonged to her and father._

_She searched every room. Father should be there. He wouldn’t leave her alone. She walked throughout the apartment and back to the room where Gabriel was waiting. He was looking at her with that intense look that was a mingle of that stoic angel face and one that betrayed his feelings. He knew what happened to Father. She walked up to him with an inquiring look that couldn’t hold back an outpouring of emotions. She asked, “Where’s Father?”_

Angela opened her eyes and breathed slowly. Gabriel could never lie to her effectively when it was something important. He caved as soon as she asked the question. That was when she learned that she had died and her father gave up his life for hers. The sore spot was from when one of the demon bastards stabbed her in the back.

She began to chuckle. Was it an irony that her father gave his life so that she may live to eventually lose it in the line of duty? Well maybe it was considering that she did die again later and it was from suffocation. She told Sam the truth that she had been locked in a crypt but she said that she had been nearly suffocated. That didn’t count the many times that she had nearly died, meaning that she had been caught in the world between worlds.

There was a slight snort and a bleating to her right. Angela looked over at the bighorn with a sarcastic expression. “What do you know about death?”

The animal snorted as it tramped over to another area. It looked at her with that stupid expression… well it did look stupid but she could hardly fault an animal for its appearance. She once told Gabriel that she thought the man upstairs had a sense of humor. When he asked her why was that she replied it was because of the platypus. She looked at the bighorn and said, “Yeah I know. You can’t help the way you look.”

The bighorn snort before it looked off in a direction. It darted its head around and then stopped in a certain direction. With a slight bleat, it sprang away. It headed into the forest making more noise going out than it did when it startled her.

Angela watched it go and then shouted after it, “Don’t wait for me. It’s not like I’m going anywhere.”

The cold was getting to her and the snow wasn’t stopping. It was like an annoyance and she was starting to wish for a hot bath. When the bighorn left, she chuckled at her bad joke when she heard something. Well she thought she heard something and that sharpened her focus a little.

It was in the back of her mind that the bighorn had run because it sensed something and probably a predator. She muttered, “Well I guess I can discount the moose.” She reached into her jacket to check her gun moving slowly and feeling like she was underwater. “God I wish I was under my blankets.”

She placed the gun in her hand and it flopped to her side. She breathed slowly in and out as she tried to listen for the direction she thought she heard the noise. She moved her head so she could tune her ear in the direction.

It was a dull crunching sound; like feet walking through snow. Her first thought was that the boys found her but she didn’t hear anything. They would have been calling her name like crazy. This was something different and it sounded big. Maybe it was that moose; a very large moose… or elk and those guys were huge.

The crunch became louder and closer. Angela turned her head in the direction it was coming from and brushed the excess snow from her face. She took a few deep breaths to slow herself from panicking. The steps got louder and she could hear that it was big and there were a few grunts. She could make out a hazy outline. She recognized the shape and her eyes widened slightly as the shape appeared and looked down at her in the eye. Well she was either going to be food or freezer food.


	9. Chapter 9

Angela thought that she was going to buy the farm as she looked up at the thing that came upon her. She immediately abandoned the idea of shooting it. Out of the yetis she had seen that day, this one had to be the largest one by far and she wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

It approached her, looking at her and it felt like it was looking into her eyes; like it was trying to see into her soul. It was something she usually did when it came to her trying to see if her contacts were telling the truth. Normally she responded as if it were a challenge. At the moment she was feeling too tired and the cold wasn’t helping.

She looked up at the yeti and studied the creature. The sketches she had made were fairly good but didn’t quite catch the almost mountain cat appearance of the face nor the musculature of the body. She had been right when she mentioned that the shape would have been similar to a gorilla’s but she could also see where it wouldn’t quite fit.

Apes in general could stand on two legs but not for long periods of time and they did that side waddle thing. This yeti walked just as well as walking on all fours. It probably preferred all fours to enable it to move faster. It was no small wonder why there were really no good photographs of the yeti and given the region and the local superstitions of the people in the villages, it would have been difficult to secure one.

Looking at it an amusing though crossed Angela’s mind. _Sam ain’t got nothing on this Sasquatch._ She didn’t laugh however but merely stared up at the beast. She didn’t know what it was going to do except shoot it. Observing it though, it didn’t seem to want to attack. She also noticed a faint set of scars, like it had been in a major fight with something going across its left eye.

In her experience when it came to wild animals, the ones with the scars spoke of battle experience. You had to be wary with them since age was working for and against them depending on how you look at it. This one looked fairly old and it seemed to have a wizened look about it and the hair looked whiter than mommy yeti.

The yeti in turn stared at Angela. It seemed puzzled that she wasn’t cowering in fear or anything like that. For a long time it stared at her giving this strange rumble of a hum. Well it was breathing but it was a rumble and Angela suspected that it was meant to be slightly intimidating. The long pause was unnerving but Angela was willing to wait since she had nothing better to do. She couldn’t help but say, “So are you going to eat me or not? I can wait out here all day you know.” She indicated the tree to show that she was not going anywhere.

The yeti didn’t respond. It was still for a few more seconds before it started forward suddenly. Angela didn’t cower though. She wrapped her fingers around her gun and was ready to lift it. It turned out to be unnecessary though. The yeti had actually grabbed the fallen tree and focused its strength and slowly lifted it.

It lifted it up enough for Angela to use the small burst of adrenaline to pulled her legs out from underneath and be free. She watched as the yeti set the tree down where it had fallen as she sat on the ground. It gave a slight huff as if to take a breather from the heavy lifting and stood back a ways and looked at her.

Angela moved her legs to make sure they were all right. They were sore and she might have some bruising and minor abrasions but they weren’t broken and she could move and walk. She looked up at the yeti. So the stories were true about how they occasionally helped a lost traveler. That was interesting. She was sure that the princess would be interested in getting her account on her encounter with a yeti.

Looking at the yeti, Angela wondered if it would understand her. It seemed to when she sarcastically asked it what it wanted to do. It was better than saying nothing. She looked it in the eye and said, “Thanks.”

Slowly Angela stood up and put weight on her legs. They were sore and it was tempting to grab a stick for support but she could walk it off and she could go faster without one. She brushed the snow off of her jacket and her pants but she could still feel the numbing cold. She needed to get moving if she was going to get to a decent area for pick up. She picked up the gun and tucked it into her jacket making sure that the yeti saw that she wasn’t going to hurt it.

The yeti didn’t move but seemed to be watching her with interest. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at that. Most creatures of the supernatural, the ones that could talk like demons, were interested in her and not in the way Dean would look at a hot girl. It all went back to what it was she was supposed to do and blah, blah on that. The yeti though seemed to be doing that judgment stare and Angela figured that it was still trying to figure out what to do with her. Well it could do that but she needed to get going.

Looking in all directions, Angela managed to orientate herself in the direction she had come from when she took off running. She glanced once more at the yeti and said, “Thanks for getting the tree off. I’ll leave you alone now.” She started walking, trying to pace her steps since the snow was deep in that area.

The yeti just watched as the human started walking. He understood her intentions through the tone of voice if not the actual words. He could tell that she was a good person and that she wouldn’t be sending the hunters after him. There was no need since the mother and the youngling were dead. He had found their remains when he picked up the trail.

He had found the human after checking to see that the mother was dead. He saw her lying at the bottom of the ravine and she wasn’t moving. He was impressed that the human was able to take down an adult of his people. They were tough to kill and it usually took a group of hunters to do it. There was only one here.

When he found her, he saw that she had been caught underneath a fallen tree. From the looks of things, she had been there quite some time. He cursed himself but he had been hunting in his territory when he heard the familiar roars of the mother and that was after he had spotted the human going through the trail. She had been interesting but she stuck to the trails. The mother liked to pick them away from them so she was safe and he was hungry. So he left. Like anything that hunted, he needed to sustain himself but when he heard the roars that meant the mother was on the kill.

They changed their tune however as he got closer. He realized that someone was making her angry by putting up a fight. It made him go faster but his age had a way of creeping up on him. He made it to the place and he found the youngling eventually. He paused to sniff around and was able to smell the silver. It was then that he knew it was a hunter.

The damage though was extensive. Some he knew was caused by the mother but others… That was something else altogether. He remembered a few of the elders back in his homeland that could do that type of damage with their minds. It was an equalizer should they come across one of the rogues of his people like the mother. He didn’t think that there were any humans there in that land that could do such a thing.

He followed the trail and marveled at the amount of damage the mother had caused. He knew it was somewhat justified since the hunter had killed her youngling. Mothers tended to be overprotective and vindictive should their young be threatened. He took his time since he was able to detect the scent of the hunter and found that it was the human that he had seen earlier. He found it strange that it should be able to survive the beating that it took. It was even more surprising when he found her.

Watching her, he concluded that she was no ordinary human. She was different and had the capability to kill one of his kind. Yet she seemed to be able to see the difference between friend and foe. She didn’t try to kill him even after he helped her out. She gave a slight nod of thanks and started walking. A part of him said that he should take her but old habits dictated that he keep his distance. Seeing that the human was able to walk albeit a bit slow from the tree, he would leave her alone. He turned to head back to his territory.

He bounded through the forest and down the familiar paths that he had staked as his own. He could technically expand his territory but he would keep it the same for now. He was deep and far away from where he left the human when he stopped sudden. Something or someone was there. He stopped and sniffed and turned around. He then spotted what it was and immediately made a kneeling motion.

****

Being someone who resided over things of nature and of course providing the means for a dynasty to exist was a trying job and that was not even mentioning the duties of acting as a go between as a member of the council. The latest case had been a bit of a doozy since the one that they had called before them had never been in the presence of the council before.

Amaterasu took her duties seriously. The people of Japan referred to her as the sun goddess and of the universe and they believed that their emperor was a direct descendant of her. She still thought that her greatest accomplishment was teaching weaving and raising silkworms along with the rice fields. Her greatest duty was to bring light to the world since when she went into hiding and that allowed the Ancients to have their way. Now she was on the council along with six other essential gods and goddesses that carried out the law set forth by their father, the Creator.

It was somewhat normal except for the fact that she sat at her place to hear the reasoning for a call for intervention when in fact the council would have apprehended the Halfling anyway for daring to harm one of the chosen ones. When she heard the name of chosen one that would have been harmed, she took interest. She knew that Isis would have token interest as well since it did involve one of her children.

That was settled and now Amaterasu was taking care of her other duties. She walked through the gardens that were a pride and joy at the temple she claimed for her own. One of her servants came up bearing a sealed notice. She knew what those meant and that meant she had to turn her full attention to it.

It could have been her brother the storm god wreaking havoc again but it wasn’t this time. It had to do with one of her beloved creatures. She read the report carefully before making rash decisions. Yes it was right to execute them if they were harming the Creator’s humans and she didn’t blame humans who killed in self defense… especially this one. She could hardly believe that they were there in that part of the world. Being a goddess didn’t mean that she was omniscient and the demons have their ways of preventing the gods from seeing what they were up to.

The yeti were her special creatures. They were the first line of defense to the temple that was her sanctuary. They also roamed the regions of the mountains near where they were born. Each one of the originals she had raised herself and she taught them. They grew up and multiplied but unfortunately there were evil influences. Some turned to eating humans after tasting first blood and some were captured by the demons.

She hadn’t wanted them to be hunted but the ones that tasted first blood and hadn’t repented, she regretfully declared them to be rogues. Whenever one of her beloved creatures were harmed, she was quick to defend them. In turn they served her and carried out their orders with great loyalty. They were wonderful creatures.

The report had her wondering and it made her ashamed that she hadn’t noticed her creatures in that part of the world. When she read the list, she could understand why. Akiyama was her especial favorite and among the first that were created. He would try to keep things from grabbing the attention of the hunters. She would go to him and find out what happened.

The snow was clean and beautiful but then again Amaterasu could appreciate the beauty of nature. It was her light that allowed life to flourish. She blended in well with the snowy background with her white hair and white kimono. The only bit of color was red and blue in a design on the sleeves that betrayed one of the forms she assumed. Her hair was pulled into one of the hairstyles of the old court and contained a hairpin. She took in a breath and looked around the wilderness that was like other places but also unique to its region. At least her creatures were placed in a thriving environment.

The goddess knew he was around and she was aware of what he would do to the hunter that had to kill Kimi and her offspring. She knew who the hunter was and knew then that what was done was a result of defense. She would not hold that against her. She would confirm it once she found him.

She spotted him coming through the forest and smiled. He was as she remembered and he would remember her. She waited until he was close enough to appear in front of him. She looked up at him and smiled. He responded by kneeling to her. She said in the old language, “Rise Akiyama.”

Akiyama rose and kept his head bowed respectfully. “It has been a long time my lady. I would have called but we had made a home here.”

Amaterasu replied, “I know. What has happened was brought to my attention. I am sorry about Kimi.”

“Kimi dishonored us by turning on the humans. We were fine and occasionally help a lost one find their way back. The strange human did what was necessary.”

“So I have heard,” Amaterasu replied. She had heard the note of approval in Akiyama’s voice and saw that he approved. “How many were transported here.”

“A whole hunting party. The others are back in the mountains. We became divided and so those still honorable tried to keep the rogues in check. My mate died in one exchange against Kimi. Kimi was the more vicious. I am glad the human stopped her.”

“How did she do that?”

“The human is not like any I have ever seen, my lady. She has the power of some of the elders in the villages in the mountains and she survived the beating Kimi gave her. I set her free from a tree that had her pinned. She could have killed me if she thought me dangerous but she didn’t.”

Amaterasu nodded as she listened. That would happen. “You left her?”

“She didn’t seem to expect anything and our people give a helping hand and then return to the mountains per how you taught us. She had the scent of two others on her; human and she was going back to them.”

“You have done well Akiyama. You have always honored your people. Now I must ask you to do something that may be a bit uncomfortable for you but it is important. That human is important; a great warrior.” Amaterasu knew she was laying it on thick but she had to make the point across to her favorite yeti.

“You wish me to follow and make sure she isn’t harmed.”

“You always knew the request before I ask.”

Akiyama bowed and replied, “Then is will be done.”

****

“You both realize that a snowstorm is expected to come in tonight,” Georgia said as she stood looking at the men staring at her with looks that could melt lead if they were that cruel.

She had come to the inn at their request. She figured that they managed to narrow the search corridor and they wanted her input. She was right when Sam pulled out a map marked with circles and one line of the trail.

She studied it and recognized the locations of where the missing hikers were last seen and where the remains were found. At that point Dean asked her about securing transport to get up to where Sam had pointed out where their friend would be. She explained to them that a search takes hours and that they were still covering a lot of ground.

They didn’t seem to care at that point. They wanted to get out there and find Angela. She had to admit that while they wanted to go out with a storm approaching was stupid, she had to admire the devotion to her friend. She especially noticed how Sam was driven and she thought that maybe whatever happened between the three of them was done and over with and focused on the search.

“Yeah you told us but we have to go out and try at least,” Dean replied. “She could be hurt. The horse did come back without her. She could have fallen off.”

It was probably unlikely but they did have to look at the possibility that maybe the horse spooked and she did fall off. That meant she could have hit her head and that meant possible concussion and disorientation. There were other possibilities and the main one was freezing to death which was the ultimate worst case scenario in Dean’s book.

Georgia could see where Dean was coming from and she noticed that Sam was waiting to see what she would say. It also looked like he wanted to say something but he was restraining himself. She couldn’t really stop them but only warn them of the possible dangers especially since the temperature had been dropping to prepare for the storm. She acknowledged, “That is a possibility. If we were to conduct an official search, I couldn’t in good conscience risk it but if you were to go out and maybe an off duty ranger went with… it could be alright. Mind you though I think it is very foolish and risky.”

“Angie would say the same thing,” Dean replied. He could see that Georgia was still reluctant to go through with it but she gave her blessing. He glanced at Sam who took the hint and grabbed some things that they would need; the duffle with the weapons and he pulled a few of the blankets from one of the beds.

“Those are too thin,” Georgia said.

“What?”

Georgia repeated, “Those are too thin if you are thinking to warm up a body. I have some thick ones in my jeep. We can use those. How are we getting up there since I am assuming the roundabout way is unacceptable to you?” She looked at Dean after Sam took her advice and put the blankets back. He was out the door with the duffle back he had grabbed after adjusting his coat against the cold.

Dean waited until Sam was out the door before replying, “The guy who lent the horse agreed to letting us borrow them if we needed them.”

“That’s unusual for Mr. Scout.”

“He called Angie a nice young lady. Sam and me learned a while back that when someone says that about her, it means that they like her. “

Georgia nodded, “Alright so I guess we go to the Scout place. I’ll call ahead so they could have the horses saddled and ready to go.”

“Thanks,” Dean replied as he grabbed his coat and checked for the Colt 911 he kept around.

Georgia turned to head to her jeep and make the call. She knew that it was stupid to go out now but she could understand. On the pragmatic level she was returning a favor; a life for a life since Angela saved hers. On the other hand it was helping out a friend and the two Winchesters needed someone around who knew the trails up there and she knew that if they started doing their hunting thing, they wouldn’t have to worry about explaining anything to her. She got to her jeep and called the Scout residence after signing off for the night. Like she said it was better to have an off duty ranger and still be able to her job.

Dean blew into his hands and rubbed them together before starting the engine. He glanced over at Sam who was looking down at his hands and he was holding… “Sam what are you doing with that?”

Sam looked up, “Just drive Dean.”

Dean would have said something but though better of it. Besides Dean was certain that Sam had probably packed Absolution in the duffle too and come to think of it, Dean would have done the same thing anyway. It was odd to find that she hadn’t taken it but at least took the other weapon she was good at and it was the one that Sam was currently holding.

Dean knew that Sam had some idea how to use it. His brother explained how the god Hapi sort of downloaded it into his brain. Sam even admitted that the first time he threw it, he thought it was a fluke since it was executed perfected and thought it was the adrenaline rush. However that wasn’t the case when they had been shrunk to their mini selves and Sam threw it. So he wasn’t concerned that Sam would cut himself on it but he was concerned about what Sam intended to do with it.

Sam flipped the chakram between his fingers. It spun like one of those optic illusion things with the bird and the cage between his fingers. He could easily cut himself on the sharp edge but with the knowledge still clanging around in his brain, he knew where to hold it in order to give the illusion that he was doing a dangerous trick. It certainly helped to calm his nerves down as well as the self-berating thoughts that were flowing through his mind.

True he managed to find the area where he knew she was going to be, he felt that he wasn’t fast enough. It took him too long to figure it out and he was good at doing this sort of thing. Maybe it was a punishment for basically being an ass to the one person who was doing something about Dean’s deal and has done nothing but helped them along the way. He sat in the car saying nothing but spinning the chakram and thinking repeating thoughts, most of them ridiculous but was associated with failure in his mind.

“Sam, we’re here.”

They arrived at the Scout place to find three horses saddled and ready to go. It was no surprise to Sam to find that Starkhaven was amongst the three. According to the kid Kyle, that was the only horse that could sustain his weight and height. He simply nodded and took the rein. He really hadn’t been on a horse before and neither had Dean so it was somewhat comical for them to mount the animals.

Georgia was ready to go and was patient as they steadied themselves. She got the feeling that they were amateurs but they were determined. Sam got on pretty easily and she was surprised at how calm Starkhaven was. Dean was something else but he did manage to get on without falling off. She glanced at the old man and Kyle and nodded. To the boys she said, “Well let’s get going.”

They set off down the path that led to the wilderness area at an easy pace for the horses to prevent slippage. Sam and Dean followed Georgia since she knew the way up there. Each prayed that they wouldn’t be caught off guard by the creature that Angela had identified and hoped that they wold find her soon.


	10. Chapter 10

“Sonofabitch!”

It was too damn cold and too much snow and to fall into another snowdrift just made it all the more annoying that it was cold. The snow was like mini ice cubes as it spilled down the collar of the jacket Angela was wearing. If it had been the heat of summer in the middle of a place like Arizona, it would have felt good but right now it was just too damn cold.

It was the second snowdrift that Angela had fallen into and she seriously started to wonder if she was heading in the right direction. Then again maybe she had been lucky when she had been chased by the yeti. Taking a breath, Angela started the laborious process of getting herself out of the snowdrift. She could feel the temperature drop and her body was starting to feel the effects.

She was panting by the time she got herself out of the drift and she lay on her back a few seconds to catch her breath. She felt like an old lady sucking in as much air as she was. She rolled over onto her stomach to get to her feet. “I feel like an old bag,” she muttered as she got to her feet.

_What are you talking about Cat? You are an old lady. You just don’t look like it._

“Right Gabe and we both know who the old man is,” Angela replied to the memory. She started trudging along, taking small steps so as not to wear her out. She rotated the arm that the yeti cuffed and felt where the scratches were. It was letting the cold in through the tears and she was certain that the sight of blood was going to scare the crap out of the boys. She couldn’t forget the bite Cerebus gave her and the look on Dean’s face.

_Damn Angie. What did they do to you?_

“The hell mutt bit me,” Angela replied not noticing that she replied in a similar manner to the one she had during that time. She sighed as she lowered her arms and winced from the cracked ribs. She was surely going to get it from both of them.

_Come on Angie. Nick may have fixed your shoulder but you still need to take it easy._

“Yeah, like I need three nags on my ass.” Angela started forward once more after giving a slight rub where her ribs were to ease the soreness. She shook just a little to shake off the chill but she could feel it start to seep in. At least she was keeping her legs moving but they were getting cold too.

_This is nothing my little pretty. You’ve been to places that were colder… and hotter than this._

“Bite me Azazel.”

_Ah certainly you remember how much fun that was? It was one of Lenya’s favorite games besides the story of Theseus and the Minotaur._

“Fun for the hell bitches,” Angela replied to the voice she heard. She looked around the forest. She could make out the damage caused by the chase through the woods. It was the easiest thing to follow it back to the clearing where the old man Scout had been attacked. From there she could make it to the trail.

_Yes and you stole one of our prize bitches. Interesting how even the beasts of the pit follow you._

“Must be my charming personality. I still don’t get the hell mutt.”

Angela knew that the voices were in her head but it felt better to respond to them. It broke the monotony of silence and for some strange reason, she was able to focus a little bit more to find her way back. Even with the snow falling like it was didn’t hinder her ability to be the most sarcastic ass around when it came to talking to the mere imaginings of her mind especially if they sounded like the voices of ones that made her life a living hell.

It was hard work even though the snow was somewhat packed. However with snowfall, it would be easy to make the drifts which was probably why she had fallen into two already. She was lucky though that she hadn’t twisted an ankle or worse. That would have had serious consequences if she did. A sprain wouldn’t have been a problem but anything that was broken was a problem. That meant she would have two nags on her hands and no driving Impa.

_You know I hate it when you call my baby that, Angie._

“You love it Dean. So does Impa.”

_Come on Angie._

“At least it’s not as bad as me suggestion I put a next gen engine in the baby.” Angela smiled as she could picture the image of Dean looking at her like she was nuts. She loved suggesting sacrilege against the Impala because Dean fell for it every time much to Sam’s amusement. Sam loved it when she got Dean a good one and would laugh when she got him too.

That had her thinking now about the thing that she put on the back burner since the job came first. Did Sam change his mind about her? She wouldn’t blame him if he did. She had seen herself how scary she looked when she vamped out as Dean coined. Yet some of the things she did were more human in their appearance. Maybe she was a freak and it repulsed him since it reminded him of the whole thing Azazel did to him.

It always came back to Azazel. The asshole tricked her into opening that devil’s gate saying that it was the only way to get into hell and pluck out her friend who died on her last trip. She hadn’t looked forward to going back to hell but it was a very good friend. She was the only one who could break the last seal to the gate.

“The seal of time can only be broken by one with mortal blood,” Angela recited from memory with a tinge of sarcasm. “And look how that turned out. Damn demon is realized. I chase after him and he goes around picking kids and he targets my best friend. He then kills her because it’s wrong place at the wrong time and he gives Sam demon blood. Mary dies and John takes up the life she left behind.”

_Yes and everything went according to plan. My little queen made it to my favorite horse._

“And you turned good people into their worst enemies you bastard.”

Angela was aware that she was starting to waste energy as she was walking. She had started raising her voice and it came out in pants as she went over why Sam was suddenly thinking she was the devil or something. Still it felt better even though she could feel the cold air filter into her lungs and feel the sharp coolness.

“Now you know that’s all part of the game my little pretty.”

Angela whirled around to see the impossible. Her eyes widened slightly and she replied, “No. You should be dead. Dean killed you with the Colt.”

Azazel grinned as his yellow eyes made a sharp contrast against the bleak white of the snow. That and the apparent bullet hole in the middle of his forehead. He advanced and said, “Now you know that we never truly die my little pretty. After all I still have to thank Dean for bringing Sammy back into the fold. Tick tock my pretty.”

Angela took an involuntary step backwards. The ground gave away and she fell into another snowdrift. Only this time there seemed to be no end. All that existed was a black void and Azazel’s voice taunting her and telling her that no matter what, Dean was going to hell and he was theirs for all eternity.

Angela opened her eyes suddenly and gasped. She found that her cheek was burning from the coldness of the snow and her back was numb from the snow that had fallen on her. She remembered now. She had been talking to nothing, mostly the voices in her head when she just felt tired and collapsed. She decided then to take a rest. She had no idea how far she had gone or how much further she had to travel. She did know that she had been following the damage back and had been marveling at how far her adrenaline had carried her when she ran.

Slowly she got to her feet and dusted the snow off over her. It was a futile gesture since the snow was still falling but it was something to do and get herself oriented. Taking slow and shallow breaths she rubbed her arms to try and get some warmth in them and started forward again. She had no idea that she was being watched by a figure in white as she made her way back to the clearing.

****

Georgia looked around and watched the landscape become whiter. She could feel the chill in the air even though she was still warm in her down jacket. She had wrapped a scarf around her mouth to retain heat and was surprised when the boys did the same. Hell she was surprised they even brought gear for the cold. She looked up at the sky. It was going to be dark in a couple of hours. They were going to have to turn back before it got too cold for the horses. She looked at Sam and Dean.

Dean rubbed his hands together to put some added warmth. He hoped that he didn’t get rug burn from the gloves that he was wearing. If he was feeling cold he could guess that Angela was probably feeling worse. The truth be told he was somewhat comforted that she had a high tolerance to the cold which meant that she would last longer than normal humans but like she told him, she was just as susceptible to exposure.

It occurred to Dean that maybe it would have provided some measure of reassurance to Sam if he mentioned about her tolerance but at this point it seemed pointless. It wouldn’t matter except to maybe get Sam more into a frenzy about finding her. He had the suspicion that if they didn’t find her before it got serious, Sam was going to blame himself. Dean didn’t want that to happen since maybe on some level it was Sam’s fault Angela would have said that it was her fault for wandering off and all that shit.

The animal that Dean was sitting on did a side step and he grabbed on the reins and said in a low voice, “Hey easy on the moving Flicka. I would like to make this in one piece.”

The horse gave a slight snort and Dean rolled his eyes. He had never really ridden before but at least the thing wasn’t trying to throw him off. Once he figured out the basics, he was doing okay. Looking over at Sam, Dean couldn’t help but mutter, “Show off.”

Sam wasn’t thinking about staying on Starkhaven. He was more focused on finding Angela. In fact he wasn’t paying too much attention to what he was doing in terms of riding. He adjusted the scarf around his mouth so that he didn’t lose too much heat. It wouldn’t do to get him or Dean turned into popsicles. He could practically hear her scolding them for that.

He had been impatient at the slow going but he understood the reasoning. These weren’t their horses and there was snow and ice. There was the chance for a tumble. However it seemed that the horse Starkhaven was anxious to get moving like he was and he was willing to let the horse have its head.

At the moment he was further up the trail and it was getting harder to see with the snowfall. He knew that if it got worse, Georgia was going to make them turn back. He didn’t want to give up so he made up his mind to find her no matter what and he got the feeling Starkhaven felt the same way. He looked around.

“Hey, we’ve got a couple of hours and then we have to turn back.”

Sam turned to see Georgia breathing out plumes of hot air. Dean suggested, “Maybe we should split up or something and meet back here in a couple of hours.”

Sam was agreeable to that. What remained was what Georgia thought. She knew the area better than he or Dean. However he was going to be impulsive if he had to. He wasn’t going to leave her out there any longer than necessary.

It was a relief when Georgia said, “Alright. The map did have three areas along this trail that were abduction and remains sites. I’ll take this area here. Dean you take the next one further up the trail. It’s going to be off to your left. It is a more recent one. Sam, you take where Scout was. We meet back here in two hours with or without Angela. Got it?” She looked at Sam especially as if to warn him not to try anything funny.

Sam agreed by motioning with his hand. That didn’t mean that he was going to give up so easily. If he had to, he would send Starkhaven back with a note or something and continue on foot. He was going to find her one way or the other. He nudged the horse with his feet and they took off and Dean accompanied him along the way.

Sam glanced at his brother who was silent and he looked like he was getting cold. “You okay Dean?” His voice sounded muffled through the scarf but he wasn’t going to pull it off.

Dean replied through his, “Just cold and wishing I was in the room with a beer and a pie. You know the usual. You?”

“I’m not fine. Not fine at all Dean.” Sam looked around the trail just in case she somehow managed to make it to the trail and was walking alongside it or something. “This is my fault Dean.”

“Don’t start on that Sammy,” Dean warned, “Don’t start.”

“But it is Dean. I was an ass to her and treated her like shit. She didn’t deserve that. Now she’s out there alone and she could die. It is my fault.”

Dean sighed. He couldn’t have Sam break down now. “Sam, we all make mistakes. Even Angie will admit that she does. She said as much when she didn’t tell us at first about how she knew Mom and Dad. Right now you need to bury that and focus. Focus on finding her. You found out where she went and you know her methods just as well as me. Got it?”

Sam nodded. They were at the spot where Dean was going to search. He paused a moment and said, “Thanks Dean.”

If Dean didn’t have the scarf on, he would have given his signature grin. Still Sam would get the idea and he replied, “It’s because I’m the awesome big brother. Good hunting Sam.” He looked his brother in the eye to give him some encouragement.

Sam nodded and nudged Starkhaven forward. It was a bit distance away so he urged the animal into a sort of trot. He had trust in the horse’s ability to keep its footing and get them to the site. As he was riding along, something caught his eye. He pulled up the horse and looked around. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted something white. It was an animal of some sort and it was four legged. He saw it through the snow and it looked like a dog or something. There were wolves in the area but Starkhaven wasn’t reacting.

The dog or wolf looked in his direction briefly and then trotted off in the direction the trail went. Sam barely had a chance to see the animal in detail but since it was no threat, he didn’t give it a second thought. He continued on until he reached the site. It was a clearing and everything was snow covered. As he approached, the horse gave a nervous nicker.

Sam wasn’t about to fight the animal so he stopped and dismounted. He dropped the rein since the horse had been trained as a drop rein horse. Drop the reins and it would stay put. He pulled walked towards the clearing and began to look around. He looked for any sign of where she might have been even though the snowfall would have covered it. He would comb every inch if he had to.

****

Angela’s foot caught on a branch and she hit the ground hard. Her legs which were fine when she started were now cold and she was starting to feel the soreness come through. Part of it was because she had fallen in snowdrifts and she had dropped to her knees when she was tired and tempted to sleep.

The sharp cold of the icy snow hit her cheek and it burned. It burned much like a memory. It was of a time that she longed to forget but she couldn’t. She could see it as she breathed, panting as she tried to catch her breath. It hurt to breathe.

_Lenya had come back giggling like a little girl. She was doing this stupid little girl skip that had Angela grow an urge to punch her but she was too tired. And she was thirsty so thirsty. She heard that annoying giggle again as she lay there on the cold, cold ground._

_“Still laying about little sister? I would have thought you would have been begging for some more by now.”_

_Angela gave a low snarl. It was a testament to how pissed she was. It was a nice distraction to the truth that Lenya was implying. If she could fight it, she would survive. “Bite me… bitch.”_

_Lenya laughed. “Still a fighter. Well you’ll beg for more soon enough. After all that last round with Daddy you lost quite a bit of blood and we all know what happens when that occurs.” She walked up towards Angela and kneeled down._

_“No.”_

_Lenya ignored Angela as she turned over her arm and made a slit across her wrist. Lenya then held it in front of Angela’s face. “Don’t be stubborn little sister. You know you want it and you know you need it. Besides I’m not done playing with you.”_

_The scent of the blood assaulted Angela’s nose. It smelled foul and sweet at the same time and she cursed the growing desire from within. She had been hiding the shakes since she started feeling them what was it a day ago? She felt her head being turned and felt the drip on her lips._

_“Come on. Drink up little sister. We need you at your best for the next game.”_

_Angela could feel emotions well in her chest. The blood dripped on her lips and started to seep in. “No. No.”_

“No!”

Angela jerked awake. In her ears she could hear Lenya’s laughter. The sad thing was she couldn’t find it within to convince herself that the demon bitch wasn’t real. Lenya was still alive and running free doing whatever she called fun. What happened in the pit really did happen. It was as real in her head as it was down there. The difference though was that what was in her head was easily pushed back.

Taking deep breaths, Angela gave a mental shake of her head and slowly began to push herself to her feet. She pulled off her gloves to check her hands and found that they were white but at least they weren’t frozen. She rubbed then together quickly and then put her gloves back on. At least she wasn’t in danger of getting frostbite. She had seen that before and it was nasty.

Sniveling slightly from the cold, Angela adjusted her coat. It really was pointless since it was torn but it made her feel better. Looking around now that she was awake, she was able to see that she was on the right track. She remembered this area. Mommy had given her a nasty cuff and she cracked her ribs against the tree she saw in the distance.

“You know little sister this trying to make it back to the clearing will only lead up to the inevitable.”

Angela ignored the image of Lenya. She knew that wasn’t real. She could smell demons because she could smell their blood. She may be seeing things but her nose still worked. Orienting herself and dusting her legs off, she set off. She then replied, “And you know I can hold out quite a long time.”

“And it still leads to the inevitable. Think about it. You’re freezing and getting hypothermia. It’s just like extreme blood loss.”

“Screw you bitch.” Angela tramped through the snow with a little more vigor than necessary. She knew she was going to wear herself out faster but Lenya always brought out the worst when her inhibitions were lowered. She ignored the image of Lenya but it was harder to ignore the voice.

“And you’ve said that more than once when we used to play together. Now what are you going to do? I mean if you do manage to make it to your boys, what’s going to stop you from caving in and taking that first sip?”

“I would rather die than do that to them.”

“I wonder how dear little Sammy’s blood would taste? I’m sure you must’ve thought about it since you’ve convinced yourself that he is human but I know better. You can smell it. That faint scent of the drink you crave with every fiber of your being.”

It felt like Lenya’s sultry breath was on her neck and Angela jerked. She almost fell over as she spun around and nearly shouted, “Shut up. It’s not going to happen!” She collapsed to her knees and her breath came in ragged gasps.

The hallucination of Lenya came and kneeled in front of her. It looked at Angela with that mock pity that was infuriating. The lips were shaped into a pout. “Oh it will happen. That desire will always be within you. That’s why you were only too glad of an excuse to get away from little Sammy and Deanie. You know that eventually you won’t be able to resist and when you see that warm, dark red, you’ll…”

Angela had enough. She gave a growl that turned into a scream as she lunged at the hallucination. She could feel herself grabbing a hold of the demon and she began pounding on the bitch. First one fist and then the other and they connected every time. She felt the cold of the snow and ice and the pounding hurt her hands since she was pounding the ground. Yet she could see and hear Lenya laughing at her.

_Keep fighting and eventually you’ll lose both. First Dean and then Sam and you will be at the center of it all little sister._

Angela gave a final pound into the ground with both fists and she was spent. She felt sick to her stomach and she doubled over. It felt like her air was constricting as she dry heaved from the exertion. It felt like the shits but she was too tired to care. Once she was finished dry heaving, she tried using her hands to support her as she tried to regulate her breathing.

Her arms shook in weakness as they buckled and her forehead touched the snow. She knew that she was going to go. She had wasted too much energy talking to hallucinations and the voices in her head. She would be damned though that she would do the one thing she despised most of all. She wouldn’t do it even if the demon bitch was right about what was happening.

Angela glanced at her left and saw the watch Dean gave her and she could feel Sam’s necklace swinging on its chain. She could keep going but she wasn’t sure if she was going to be able to resist doing what her survival instincts wanted to do. Just thinking about that warm red liquid made her thirsty for it. What would she do if she made it back?

It was easy to see herself smiling at them both. They knew her and trusted her. They were easy prey. They would be helpful and smiling and then she would lunge at them and sink her teeth in and…

“Stop it,” Angela muttered to herself. She forced herself to her feet. “No. I can do this. I can make it back and…”

She didn’t get very far when she finally collapsed and didn’t move. She wanted to keep going but she couldn’t make her body move. It was easier to close her eyes and go to sleep. Then she wouldn’t have to worry about jinxing the boys with her brand of luck.


	11. Chapter 11

Akiyama was surprised at how far the human had travelled since he left her near the ravine. Then again the lady said that she was special and that she wasn’t like other humans. He went back to where he left her and found the trail she left behind and he followed. He had to lessen his stride so that he wouldn’t come up on her unexpectedly. Even though she wouldn’t be trying to kill him, he knew that humans didn’t react well to the cold and she might think to shoot first and ask questions later.

He paused a few times to make sure that she was heading in the right direction. He would stop and sniff around for her scent. He followed the most recent scent and he became alarmed when it started going off the direction she should have been going. Akiyama grew concerned at that.

The lady who was his creator and mother, the goddess Amaterasu told him that she was different. She called the human a warrior princess. He didn’t understand what that meant but it was obvious that she was important to the lady. He would do his duty and he would do what he had always done and that was to guide the lost back to where they could find their way.

It was obvious that he would need to hurry but he needed to inform the lady. He gave the rumble roar he used. She was there in an instant. He gave the nod of respect. “Milady, the human has gone off the path.”

“This is not good. Bring her near the clearing. I will go and guide those that are looking for her.”

“They are out here?”

Amaterasu gave a slight smile. “They care for her.”

That was enough for Akiyama. Most of those he had returned had someone who cared. That they were risking the elements to find the human was something he admired in the fragile beings. It was what he emphasized when he had taught younglings what they did. “I will bring her.”

He had taken off before the lady left. He had done that before without repercussions. The lady understood the sense of urgency regarding the fragile state of humans. This time he put a spurt into his old muscles and went full speed. He tempered it a little again to not startle the human.

He knew he was close when he heard a piercing scream of frustration. Akiyama knew that he had to help if she was in trouble. He hurried forward only to find that she was on her knees and she was pounding the ground with intense ferocity. He could see the indents in the snow and the ground. She was angry at something and shouting the one word that he knew well. The word was ‘no’.

Akiyama had never seen a human last this long in the cold. He couldn’t understand it but he surmised that the heart of this human was different from those he had rescued before. It was stronger and it was a warrior’s heart. He had seen only one other like that and that was a long time ago before the wretched demon dropped him off here.

He poked his way through the brush just as the human collapsed. He came upon her, tempted to poke her to see if she was still alive. There was no movement except for the occasional twitch of her fingers. She was done for if he didn’t get her to where she could be found. Slowly he picked her up.

It had been a long time since he had even carried a human. What passed for a thumb was on the human’s chest and he could make out the thready heartbeat but he could also feel the damage that had been done by Kimi and her offspring. He would have to be careful with this one.

It was like cradling a newborn of his people as he put the human close to his chest and hoped that it provided some measure of warmth. His kind’s fur was made to withstand the freezing temperatures of the Himalayas so this was nothing to him. He made sure that his load was stable before he started loping in the direction that she should have been going in.

Again Akiyama marveled at how far the human was able to travel as he made his way back to where she diverted from her path. Once he was back on the trail, he started loping towards where the fight had begun. He was going to have to be careful once he got closer though since whoever was looking for her may not understand his intent and start shooting.

The distance that had been covered was astounding. Kimi was fast and ferocious when she was on the hunt. The fact that the human was able to actually run and keep ahead was astounding. It only went to prove that the human wasn’t a normal one at all.

Akiyama could have gone faster but he didn’t want to risk the well being of the human in his charge. At one point he felt her actually cuddle into the warmth of his fur. That told him she was still alive but barely. He was certain she wouldn’t move but the fact that she did spoke of resilience. When he stopped to rest his arms, he looked at the human and muttered in his own language, “The lady said you were special but I am at a loss as to what you are. You are not like any human I have met.”

It took a couple of rest stops since he was going at a slower pace but he was making good time. He would be able to make it possible to find the human before they had to turn back and wait until morning. If that were the case, he would gladly take care of the human through the night but as it were, he would rather get her back to her people.

He finally found the spot well away from the clearing but it gave him enough time for him to sneak away should anyone else human came that way. He set the human down, regretting that he had to expose her to the cold again but this was how it had to be done.

Back home the people understood the yeti. They respected them and they helped hunt the ones that didn’t do what they were supposed to do. Here it was different. There were other creatures capable of killing like the rogue ones of his people. They didn’t understand the true role of the yeti. They did not understand that not all the yetis were like the rogues. Many of the hunters had this arrogance that they knew everything. That was what infuriated him since he did once or two lost a clan member to that arrogance.

Akiyama brushed it off as he stayed nearby and made the human a little comfortable even though it was cold and getting colder. He heard a whistling in the wind and lifted his head to listen. He moved his head to fine tune his ears to see if he could hear what was coming. He brought his nose into the mix by sniffing it out.

One of the advantages of being a yeti was that they were good at navigating through snowstorms. They could pick up sounds and scents that while other animals could eventually pick up on, the yeti could pick it up from a distance and be ready to flee should the time prove necessary. Akiyama was putting his sense of smell to use.

He was able to pick up the scent of the lady. She was coming towards him. The scent was a bit different though so he would be cautious. He got down on all fours in a protective stance over the human. He gave a low growl and was ready to lash out at the intruder.

From the direction where he had rescued that elder, out came a white wolf. It was like the others he had seen roaming the forest but this one was different. He recognized the colors of the robes the lady wore when she made an appearance. He peered at the wolf to take a closer look but he didn’t budge from his protective stance. He gave tentative sniffs while the wolf stood there and let him as if it seemed to understand. He smelled the lady and taking in the markings on the wolf’s coat, he knew who it was. He gave a low rumble and nodded and he understood when the wolf nodded back. His job was done but he would stick around to make sure.

The wolf left the area and went back towards the direction it came. Akiyama watched with slight worry. Sometimes the hunters took a shot at those loving creatures as well. However he was certain that what the lady intended would work.

****

_How big is this damn forest?_

Sam knew it was a rhetorical question and he could just hear Angela telling him that the Selway-Bitterroot wilderness area is the largest of three areas that span the Bitterroot National Forest and included the Bitterroot Mountain range. Yeah he read the same pamphlet in the room while he was being an ass. However the question made him feel better in terms of making progress in his search. He knew that he was going to have to turn back in about twenty minutes or so.

Sam did toy with the idea of staying out a bit longer but he knew that Dean would be up there as fast as he could get the horse to move and make him get down the hill. That would have been to appease Georgia since they would have been back up there within the hour to continue searching for her. That was how they rolled in the Winchester family. They didn’t leave family out to dry.

Sam paused to think about that last thought. He just included her in that statement about the Winchester family. It was the first time that he actually lumped her in that category. He always said she was like an older sibling. His thoughts became a mixture of the crap he gave her and things he did previously. It helped as he looked around and moved forward.

Sam stumbled a bit in a small snowdrift and nearly cursed as she brushed the snow off. He took a sniff and glanced at his watch. He had less than ten minutes to get back to where Georgia was expecting them. He hadn’t seen anything yet and he was wondering where the hell she could have gone. He started adjusting the scarf around his neck and mouth. He didn’t want to give up now. He got the feeling that he was getting close.

He tripped again and cursed and for once glad that Dean wasn’t around. He would have been making stupid jokes about clumsy Sasquatches and she would have been laughing too. She would have also turned the tables on Dean and remind him of the few things that slipped.

“Where are you Angie? Can you do that mind thing or something?”

Even though there was no one to respond, it made Sam feel better to ask as he turned to look around. He moved his hand and it touched her chakram. He took it off and looked at it. He really had no idea why he brought it. It was relaxing to twirl between his fingers in the car but out here, there really was no use for it.

A crunch in the snow caught Sam’s attention and he lowered the chakram and pulled out his handgun and pointed it outward. As far as he knew the thing that they were supposed to be hunting could still be out there. Why it would be out in the middle of snowstorm was beyond him since even the animals knew to take shelter at time like this. He pointed his gun and slowly turned to look around.

The crunch came again and Sam listened. It was coming… behind him? Sam turned and he saw Starkhaven had followed him. He threw a bitch face at the horse. “Thanks a lot you overgrown glue pot.”

The horse looked at Sam. It was almost like he was laughing at the young hunter. It then gave a rumble and a slight snort.

“Quit playing around,” Sam muttered as he walked over and took the leading rein and wrapped it around his hand. He was going to have to turn back if he didn’t find anything. He really didn’t want to leave her out there all night.

He patted the horse’s neck for reassurance while he decided what to do. It was then he heard another crunch. He knew it wasn’t the horse and raised his gun up. The noise came closer and Sam tensed up. He looked around, wondering what was out there. It took him a moment to notice that the horse was not getting agitated.

Sam was certain something was up. His eyes darted around until he saw something through the snow. It was coming closer and he held his gun ready to bring it up if he needed to. It was another thing that he took for granted and she showed him. He remembered when she showed him and Dean how to better hold their weapons so they could bring it up without going all thumbs. She never dissed Dad’s methods of teaching them but simply showed them tricks to increase success with those teachings. It was another thing to feel guilty about the way he had treated her. Sam sighed as he readied himself and took a deep breath.

Sam could feel his heart start to beat a little faster as the figure approached. He gave a sniff as he waited. He really hoped it was something harmless like the stupid horse. He didn’t need to face a supernatural creature at this moment.

For once, the Winchester luck was going to prove in favor this time. The figure got closer and Sam could make out the shape of a four legged creature that was roughly the shape of a dog. The snow actually cleared as if it were through supernatural means to reveal that it was a dog but more specifically a wolf.

It was a white wolf with strange markings. Sam could make out red and bluish hues on the fur and they were arranged in a particular pattern. It didn’t seem particularly threatening so Sam lowered his gun and then put it back in his jacket pocket. The animal didn’t move but continued to stare at him. Sam didn’t know what to make of it. He glanced at his watch and saw that his ten minutes were up. “Damn. I really don’t want to go back but…”

It was a sudden dash the wolf made as it ran up to Sam and yanked the chakram off his belt. Sam whirled with the motion and almost fell in the process. He looked and saw the wolf holding the chakram in its mouth and it seemed to have a saucy grin on its face. It flicked its tail and then started to run

It was probably the stupidest thing he ever did but Sam wasn’t going to let some animal take what belonged to Angela. He mounted Starkhaven and the pair took off after the wolf. It was foolish to run at a gallop since there was a chance that they could fall into a drift and the horse could break its leg. Right now Sam wasn’t in the mood.

The wolf kept just ahead and occasionally turned to show Sam that it still had the chakram. It was like it was a game to the animal and Sam walked into it. He kept up the pace until he ran into some tree branches. It left him with a nasty scratch on his head over his right eye but other than that he was fine. He seemed to have lost the wolf though and he growled in frustration.

He was late for getting back to Dean and he lost Angela’s chakram. He was about to turn around when he noticed something in the snow not too far away. He moved forward a little. As soon as he got a clear view of what he was seeing, he was about ready to shout to the heavens for his brother. He jumped off the horse and grabbing the spare blanket he ran though his steps sunk into the snow. He slid the last few feet in.

He had found her. He had found Angela. He didn’t even notice the chakram that had been dropped next to her. He hovered over her unconscious form and began looking for any sign of life. He discovered that she was breathing shallowly but that didn’t mean much. He felt her face and she was cold. “Angie?”

There was no response. Sam knew he had to get her to wake up. He wrapped the blanket around her and started rubbing her limbs. “Come on Angie. Can you hear me? Angie?”

****

It was actually warm. It wasn’t the unpleasant warm that came driving through hundred degree dry heat in Arizona. Rather it was that warmth like snuggling in a comfortable blanket. You could just keep your eyes closed and stay asleep forever. However good things have to come to an end.

Angela slowly opened her eyes to find that she had been asleep outside. Reaching out with her fingers she felt what she was laying on. She could feel the smooth contours of a familiar shaped hood. She turned her head to take a look around and slowly sat up.

She found that she was on the hood of her baby Deanna. Angela frowned slightly at that since she knew that she was supposed to be at Bitterroot. Also she wouldn’t have spent the night on her baby since she was riding with Sam and Dean in the Impala.

Angela looked around to find that she was parked in the middle of an open field. Nearby was a huge tree and had a familiar grassy hollow. Wait a minute. She knew this place. The last time she had been here was when she was in Alabama. Why was she here?

Angela jumped off the Camaro and started walking around. There were things out of place. She started finding things that should have been in other places. While wandering the field, she came across a set of bookshelves and someone was standing next to them reading a book. She remembered that and she ignored it for now.

Continuing forward she ended up walking into a cavern. She frowned slightly at that and then looked around. She could see the Camaro but it was off in a distance. She couldn’t have covered that much ground already now? Could she? She looked around the cavern and suddenly torches appeared.

It was instinct for Angela to react and she dropped into a fighting stance. She looked around for any sign of trouble. Suddenly out came the last thing she did remember seeing. Her eyes widened and then narrowed in anger. She gritted her teeth and her hands balled into fists. “What are you doing here Lenya?”

Lenya merely smiled and then turned around and started walking deeper into the cavern and occasionally looked back. Angela obeyed the impulse to follow. She jogged after Lenya and followed her deeper into the cavern. She came to a junction where it split off into three paths. The only light seemed to filter from an overhead shaft.

Angela frowned in confusion. She had no memory of this place. In fact she had never been in this place before. She looked around and at the three paths that were open to her. She looked back and found that tunnel darkened. Looking at the choices she said, “Okay, so what am I to do now?”

“This has become rather a frequent occurrence for you.”

Angela turned to find the goddess looking at her with a smile like a parent gives a child. She folded her hands behind her and replied, “In the line of work I choose to do… it usually is pretty high on the list.”

Isis smiled as she advanced towards her favorite daughter. That she looked like a mess was a good sign since she that meant she wasn’t going to give up so easily. She ran a hand through her daughter’s locks, combing out the loose tresses. “Yes it is.”

Angela let the goddess touch her. She was one of the few people she allowed that type of intimacy. The goddess then ran her two fingers down the left side of her face. Angela was reminded of another person who did that same movement and she involuntarily moved away. She looked at the goddess and hastily apologized, “I’m sorry. It just reminded me of someone else.”

Isis knew full well who that person was. Her grandson had much to say about it along with his wife. She enjoyed the tale immensely and was pleased that things were moving along as they should. “It’s all right, Daughter. It’s one of the things I envy about you mortals. Your ability to take meaning in every touch. It is a gift.”

Angela shuffled a little uncomfortably at the turn this conversation was going. “Yes. Well since I walked through probably what was my version of Wonderland and you’re here means that I am in that place again.”

“And you would be correct. Tell me, do you recall what happened?”

Angela looked downward. She noticed that her hands looked white as if she had been in extreme cold. She was wearing jeans, boots, shirt and a jacket. Suddenly she could hear the sounds as her memory filtered through the event s of the day. She saw the yeti and the teeth and roaring. The snow the falling tree.

Suddenly Angela looked up and replied, “I remember. I passed out and I was suffering the effects of hypothermia.”

“A particular nasty way to go. Freezing to death. Then again death is never pleasant if it is in a violent way.”

“It is a natural part of life. It is one journey all us mortals must make,” Angela countered in a softened tone. She knew this lecture well. Tessa and a few others made sure that she knew that and the point was driven home when she had been tricked.

Isis nodded in agreement. “And it’s no wonder the reapers have such respect for you and I hear Death himself has noticed.”

“He would, considering all the times I’ve come here and then have gone back.” Angela looked around the cavern and then at the three tunnels. She gestured towards them. “So I am guessing this is how I find my way back to the world of the living.”

“At least you still know how to think things through,” Isis teased in one of her rare moments. “Yes this is your way to going back but as I said before, you must choose to go back.”

“Why a cavern? I don’t remember this place at all. Everything so far has come from memories from past cases and people I’ve met. I don’t understand.” Angela looked at the goddess, her face asking for help silently. If she had to, she would beg.

Isis studied her daughter. She replied, “The mortal mind is a complex thing. You know this from your forays into Morpheus’ realm and your time spent here. You know that this place can mold itself to the person that occupies the space. For one person the choice could be three separate roads, each with different landscape to help with the decision. It may be different for another.

“You are different. Ever since that day, you have never let appearances dictate your choices regarding what you considered vital. You’ve always searched deeper. Often the metaphor that exists for that is a cavern. So here it is.”

Angela looked at the three tunnels. So that was the way of it. She had to dig down and find for herself which was the path was the right one. “So I just pick one?”

“Yes. You must choose but choose wisely. Only one will send you back to the world of the living but the others with send you to the only other places the dead can go. Upstairs or down.”

Angela got it. She had three choices. One went to heaven, one went to hell and the other went back to more of the same. She remembered Isis’ last conversation. She had to want to go back to the world of the living but this time more was expected. It was like the powers wanted to make sure that she was serious about her choice. “How do I know which is which?”

“You have to figure that out for yourself.”

 _Of course._ Angela nodded to indicate that she understood. She was on her own with this. She stared at the three tunnels as she stood before them. She remembered her last thoughts were that she should go and then the boys would be free of her and the bad luck she brought them. That was a gift she could give. She had already messed up their lives by even walking into Mary’s life.

Hell was a been there, done that deal. She knew that place fairly well so if she went there, she would at least have a bit of head start. Then she would become the thing that she had hunted all her life. What kind of life was that? Maybe she should choose heaven. She would have to put up with the annoyances but it was better.

_Angie. Come on, talk to me. Come back._

Angela perked up at the voice she heard. She knew who it was. She was surprised that he even wanted her around. She cocked her head to listen to where it was coming from.

_I’m sorry. Please come back. Don’t leave your family._

Angela knew her choice now. She walked to stand in front of the entrance she had chosen. She looked back at the goddess and smiled. “Until possibly next time milady.” She then walked through the tunnel.

Angela slowly opened her eyes and realized that someone was rubbing her arms vigorously and agitating the scratches. She saw a familiar pair of frightened puppy eyes looking down at her. She said the first thing that came to mind, “I’m not quoting Star Wars for Dean’s benefit.”


	12. Chapter 12

“I’m not quoting Star Wars for Dean’s benefit.”

Sam stopped what he was doing to look down at Angela’s face. He found her eyes open but sleepily peering up at him. He couldn’t help but chuckle at that. He pulled down his scarf so she could hear him. “I don’t expect you to.” He gave her a hug. “Thank God you came back.”

“Good thing cause then you’d be in trouble… housekeeping wise.” Angela was too disoriented to realize that Sam had just hugged her. She was usually the spontaneous one with her emotions. She peered sleepily at Sam and added, “I think it is cold.”

Sam didn’t care if she sounded loony at that moment. She was alive and that was what counted. He wrapped the blanket tight enough to retain heat. He joked gently, “Thanks Captain Obvious. Let’s get you back to someplace warm.” He finally noticed the chakram and looked around to find that wolf that stole it.

Seeing nothing, he picked it up and put it back on his belt, relieved that the clasp he had used to secure it didn’t fall off. He then diverted his attention to getting Angela onto the horse. He knew how to get her on but that didn’t dispel the nervousness that he felt at being a bit forward. He knew as well as Dean the sensitivity to touch Angela got when it involved her personal space.

There was little choice and she didn’t seem to notice much anyway. If he had been observant, she was in the middle of reminding herself not to give in to the desire for blood. Her method of choice was rubbing her left palm. As it were Sam assumed she was trying to keep herself warm. Biting the bullet, Sam picked her up off the ground and carried her towards the horse.

Starkhaven gave a snort. His breath came out in puffs of smoke. He looked like those dark paintings of evil horses and the like. However he stood still in the cold as Sam put Angela on his back in the riding position. He didn’t even feel the weight as Sam got on behind her and put his arms around her to grab the reins. As soon as he felt the tap of Sam’s feet, he took off at a trot back towards the trail and down the trail.

It was a bit awkward for Sam since he was trying to keep Angela steady on the horse while trying to ride. She seemed to be pretty well situated on the horse. He saw her head bob and he said, “Hey stay awake, Angie. We don’t need you falling asleep on duty again.”

That seemed to wake her up a little. She muttered, “I’m not asleep. I don’t fall asleep on the job.”

It was funny in the sense that she was still out of it and wasn’t too coherent. Sam had no idea how bad the hypothermia was but the fact that she was awake was a good thing. He hadn’t found her frozen to death. He smiled under his scarf and replied, “This time you did but it’s okay.”

“S not okay. Can’t take diligence for granted. Made that mistake once,” Angela replied as she placed her hands on the saddle horn to steady herself. She leaned back against Sam’s chest and muttered, “Take one down to pass around and it drops on the ground.”

Sam gave a slight hum as he steadied himself for the impact of Angela thumping on his chest. He muttered, “I know though I don’t think 99 bottles of beer is a good metaphor for that.” He nudged her to get her to straighten up.

“Same concept.”

“Whatever you say Angie,” Sam replied as they went down the trail. He managed to glance at his watch. They were really late and he was sure that Dean was going to hand it to him. That would be after he made sure she was all right. He wasn’t going to urge the horse to go any faster since they were doing pretty good and he didn’t want to risk a fall. He was just going to have to take it as it came.

“There were two, then one and then there were none.”

Sam frowned at that statement Angela made. It was something to figure out later. Looking ahead, he could make out the silhouettes of Dean and Georgia.

****

“Dammit Sam. Do you have to make things difficult?” Dean frowned that his brother was not here yet. He knew his brother well and he was going to go with him on this one. They would have gone back and hike back up themselves. This was just Sam being his usual stubborn self.

“Dean, where is your brother? We have to get back down,” Georgia replied as she brought her mount close.

“I’m not leaving without my brother,” Dean replied. There had to be a good reason why Sam was late. Maybe he found her. At the back of his mind the worst case scenario was floating around; that Sam got into some trouble himself. Maybe it hadn’t been a good idea to separate but it seemed like a good idea at the time.

“Dean, we can’t stay out much longer. We need to be heading back.”

“I’m not leaving Sam,” Dean replied firmly. “If you want, you can leave me here and take the horse.” He looked at Georgia with a determined look.

Georgia saw the look. Dean was really determined to stay out there. She was afraid that she was going to have to knock the man out in order to get them back. She sighed in order to debate what to do. “Dean…”

“No.” Dean looked back up the trail that he and Sam had gone up. He could feel the cold seeping in. He didn’t want to admit that it was probably a good idea that they should be heading down. He was not going to leave Sam up here alone. He muttered, “Come on Sam.”

He was just about to start up the path when something caught his eye. He peered through the falling snow and he could make out a shape coming towards them. At first he thought it was some huge creature or maybe that yeti that Sam told him was responsible for the missing hikers. When he looked closer, he could make out his Sasquatch of a brother but the shape was wrong. Dean knew instantly that Sam had found her. He looked at Georgia and said, “He found her.”

Georgia looked in the direction that Dean was. She could see that Sam was accompanied by someone. She recognized her friend even wrapped by one of the blankets she handed to each of the boys. He did find her.

Dean could hardly contain his excitement. He waited until Sam was close enough for him to get a good look. He shot a look at Sam for being stupid and making him worry. He looked under the blanket and said, “You certainly like to milk the drama don’t ya Angie?”

“Not as much as you… jerk,” Angela murmured as she looked at Dean with a sleepy eye. She gave a slight smile for reassurance.

Dean chuckled at her use of Sam’s insult for him. He heard her sniff and bury her nose under the blankets. “Come on let’s get you some place warm.” He then looked at Sam and pointed a warning finger, “And you and I are going to have a conversation later.”

Sam threw a bitch face but it wasn’t that effective since he had a scarf on his face. “Whatever, Dean.” He glanced over to see that Georgia was already heading back down. He put a hand on Angela’s waist to steady her and followed Georgia while Dean brought up the rear.

“You are in so much trouble Sammy,” Angela’s voice came in a sing song tone.

Sam gave a slight eye roll at no one in particular. He teased her, “About as much trouble as you are.”

“Double trouble… just like always.”

“Yeah… like always.”

****

The cavern was dimly lit to reflect the glimmer of the snowfall outside. Amaterasu looked around at the roominess of the place before looking down at the pool of water that was a natural spring. She waved her hand and looked as the water swirled to reveal the events of now.

She watched as the rescue party headed back down the mountain and smiled at the sight. They would be all right. Akiyama did good bringing Absolution closer to be found.

“That was an impressive move. I thought Sam would certainly have shot you.”

Amaterasu turned to see her friend and smiled. She adjusted the sleeve of her kimono and motioned for Akiyama to stand down. She knew he was around watching since this was his home. She replied, “I guess I was willing to put faith in Absolution’s judgment of the brothers.”

Isis gave a smile as she walked towards her friend. The cold didn’t bother her since she was a goddess. She adjusted her traditional Egyptian dress of ancient times. Her sandals clicked on the floor of the cavern as she came to a stop by the pool next to Amaterasu. “It is infectious I know. Sometimes when I feel discouraged, I often ask myself what my daughter would do.”

“I have noticed how the humans follow her. She was kind to Akiyama.” Amaterasu reached up with a white hand and stroked the yeti’s fur. “It would have been easy to kill all of them.” She looked at her friend with a questioning look in her eyes as she adjusted the sleeves of her kimono. She was curious as to the nature behind her friend’s daughter’s choices.

“I have not told her about the yeti and from what I have observed, she is like a scholar when it comes to pursuing her duties,” Isis replied as she peered into the pool. She gave a slight smile at what she saw. “I want to thank you and Akiyama for saving her.”

“I blame myself for not being diligent in coming to their aide. I had no idea the demons did this,” Amaterasu replied.

“You know how they are and you know that there are means of blinding us. It is just one more thing to prove that we are not all perfect.”

“And yet one cannot help but feel guilty about actions taken to get to this point… like the one you called Sam.”

Isis gave a slight chuckle as she smiled. “I know my friend. The reactions generated by the emotions… it is entertaining especially when you know the cause of it and the other doesn’t.”

“So you’ve noticed that as well?”

Isis gave a short laugh. “For a long time actually. I think this is the beginning for one of them to realize the path that is laid before them.”

Amaterasu narrowed her eyes slightly, “I hope you don’t plan on anything. You know we have our place. We can interfere but only to a degree.”

“I never mingle with the relationships. Those are things that must be discovered for themselves,” Isis replied. “I have to admit that your idea to get Sam to follow you was a good one and I must say that it was the first time I have seen one of your alternate forms that was not human.”

“Akiyama was suspicious at first,” Amaterasu replied as she smiled at the yeti, “But he came around as the phrase goes.”

“Out of curiosity, why not appear to him in this form. I did.”

“But he doesn’t remember you,” Amaterasu countered.

“But he does remember my presence. My son mentioned how he eyed him when we sent them to watch over Absolution but I see your point. Eventually they will meet us,” Isis replied. “Quite possibly at a time when they need a respite.”

Amaterasu looked at Isis shrewdly. “You know something?”

“No. Just giving a possibility.”

Amaterasu turned to look down at the pool of water. She saw the trio together and nodded. Her thoughts drifted to the prospective hearing. Quetzalcoatl was holding out on the summoning but she figured that after this he would be willing to set the stage for proceedings. “Maybe the Skye Temple would be a good place but like you said it will be at a later time.”

Isis nodded. They preferred to remain on the sidelines occasionally giving a hand. She watched her daughter’s companions babying her and she smiled. Absolution must really be out of it to let them both baby her. She then said, “So now that the situation with the others has been… handled, do you intend to have Akiyama return?”

****

It was not easy to be quiet especially in a room where the person asleep had hearing that was above average than a human’s. Still Sam made the effort to be quiet as he opened the door to Angela’s room. At least this time he didn’t have to pick the lock.

They had made it back to Mr. Scout’s house in good time and set about getting her warmed up. When she actually became coherent, which was within a surprisingly short amount of time, she started badgering him and Dean to get her back to the inn. It was a no brainer for him and Dean since they knew she was not like other humans.

Georgia and Mr. Scout and his daughter thought they were crazy but somehow Dean managed to give a snow job about how she was being in strange places. Georgia seemed to get it but the other two must have thought that they were crazies. Still managed to get back to the inn and Angela would have holed herself up if Dean hadn’t stopped her from doing so. She actually listened to Dean’s logic and handed over the spare key and she didn’t protest to having them check on her.

It turned out to be three rounds of the usual in the division of shifts. Dean had the first one and now it was his turn. Sam made his way a little sleepy to take a peek and make sure that she was still bundled up as they left her.

Angela was covered in several blankets as well as a pair of sweats and the hoodie he gave her. If the truth be told Sam was surprised she still had it. He half expected her to rip it to shreds after the things he said but he knew she wasn’t petty like that. Still it would be what he deserved. That was not important though. He just wanted to make sure she was okay.

He didn’t know if it was a fluke or if Dean had set it up but Sam cursed silently when he bumped something, probably one of the duffles, and he bumped the table. He paused to see if he did anything to wake her up. It looked like nothing was up so he turned to leave.

“I’ll kill Dean in the morning for you.”

Sam stiffened when he heard her voice. As much as he wanted to talk to her, he was willing to wait until morning. He glanced over to see that she had propped herself on her elbows and looking at him. He could make out slight shadows under her eyes and at least her skin was not so white; the color was returning. He replied, “You don’t have to do that. I got that covered. Sorry I woke you up.”

Angela sat up and replied, “It’s okay. I’m getting a little too warm.”

It was a lie and Sam knew it. She was awake now and she was probably going to stay awake for a while. He turned away from the door and said, “You know you don’t have to entertain me if I wake you up.”

“No I don’t have to but I know that whatever is wrong between us needs to be set straight. Might as well be now,” Angela replied as she sat up. She winced slightly from her ribs and the fact that she had brushed the arm that had been scratched. She scooted to one side and gave a hard pat to her left as she said, “Come on or pull up a chair or something.”

To Sam she looked like a drunk person motioning but he knew it was just being sleepy that was provoking it along with the fact that she was trying to be her usual self. He knew that she wasn’t going to go back to sleep unless she was satisfied about whatever the issue was. He sighed and stayed where he was thought to try and reason with her, “Angie…”

“Sam,” Angela replied motioning with her finger, “Don’t try to talk yourself out of this one. Come on.” She sat looking expectantly at Sam. “Come on.”

Sam sighed and came over. He looked around and finally feeling uncomfortable sat on her bed facing her. She was still staring at him and he wasn’t sure if she was using an intimidation tactic or not. He looked at his hands and said, “We don’t have to do this now Angie. I just came to make sure you were fine…”

“Sam.”

Sam sighed. She wasn’t going to let this go. “Alright. Look, Angie… I’m sorry about the things I said. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“I’m sorry too.”

Sam looked at her with a puzzled frown. “For what? Angie, I was the one that said those things and been an asshole.”

“I refused to help you. You know the deal thing.”

“It wasn’t that,” Sam replied,” Besides I know that you are doing something and I knew that it was stupid to bring that up again since Dean told me the terms. I was just upset about you spending so much time talking to Nick since he fixed us…”

“You were jealous.”

The answer had been given in such a matter of fact manner that it would have been funny. Yet Sam could see that she was trying to work something out as she pieced it together. “Dean has always been there for me and when he used to leave me to go chase after girls… that was what I thought was happening when you started spending more time on the phone with Nick.”

“I thought you were upset about me practicing with you know.” Angela tapped her first finger to her temple to indicate she meant her abilities. “I thought that maybe I scared you guys with what I am capable of. I know I scare myself.”

“Well, to see you completely vamped, meaning the eyes and the teeth, that can be a little scary and the fact that you move faster when you vamp out… but that’s nothing because every time you do that, it’s because you are saving mine and Dean’s asses. Sometimes I do worry that you may forget that and you…” Sam shrugged his shoulders as he watched her expression.

“You’re worried about that tidbit about Chasers succumbing to the blood lust. I would be too considering that the voices in my head were trying to convince me to take a bite out of whoever found me out there.” Angela paused a moment before continuing, “I was hallucinating but it was based on things I knew were true. When a Chaser is compromised in terms of health, rapid recovery can be achieved by fresh human blood. I know I said extreme blood loss would trigger it but it’s like a weird survival mechanism and one of reasons why I insisted on coming back here instead of taking Mr. Scout’s offer.”

“But you were willing to let me and Dean walk in your room and check on you,” Sam replied in a slight frown. “Why?”

“Because I knew that I wouldn’t hurt you both.” Angela frowned a little as she tried to find the right words to say. “I would rather go without and kill myself than hurt the people that mean the most to me. And maybe it’s because I trust the word of one very persistent Winchester.”

“Whose?”

“Yours.” Angela looked at Sam as if her were being stupid. “You told me that you believed that I am a good person. That means a lot to me Sam and in a way I guess it is one of the reasons why I want to try give you your brother back.”

Sam sat in his spot and looked around not saying anything for a moment. She did have a way of hitting at a person’s core and he felt bad. He was sure that Dean felt the same way when he had these types of conversations with her. It did feel good that he managed to make her feel like she was wanted and she was and it was touching that it seemed to be her motivation for her methods in trying to help Dean. He had to get back to the track that he started on though. “Going back to Nick and the calls, I admit I was jealous and while I am glad that you aren’t as reserved as you were nearly a year ago I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“You don’t have to protect me all the time,” Angela replied in a softened tone.

“The thing is… you’re like family Angie. You’ve watched our backs all the time. You take more risks than Dean or me… So can you see why…?”

Angela was certain she could see. Sam was looking out for not a partner but a family member. She knew how close the brothers were when she observed their relationship. She never fully stopped to consider how they viewed their relationship with her. It was a new concept but not too new. Their mother after all called her a best friend and once implied that they were like sisters. She just had a hard time believing that someone would feel that way about her. She replied, “I can. You do mean that do you?”

“Yeah.”

Angela gave a slight smile and leaned against the headboard as if to think. “You know that makes me feel bad that I ran off alone to a mountain.” She turned to look at Sam and confessed, “I did go up alone because I was angry. I convinced myself though that I was doing recon work and making sure we weren’t rushing into something that would require heavy artillery or something.”

“I made you angry.”

“And I failed to realize that you were just being you like the other times over Nick talking to me. He was calling to ask me about procedures for hearings by the way.”

Sam gave a sheepish grin. “I know. He… called me when he couldn’t reach you. He told me all about it and how he convinced them to leave you alone about giving your side or something. It was then I realized why I need to make things right between us.”

Angela listened and gave a slight chuckle. “I guess we settled that did we? I am sorry and I know you are so one more thing to learn from right?” She gave a slight smile.

Sam gave a slight chuckle in response. “I guess. Now will you go back to sleep?”

“I don’t know. I think I might stay up a bit.”

“You are something else.”

“So they tell me.”

Sam knew this was going nowhere. She was determined to make him suffer for this. He could turn the tables and indulge her. It usually worked when she did it. He was just going to have to play it smart. “Okay so then I guess I stay in here all night and then have Dean wake up in a fit.”

“I guess so. Make yourself comfortable,” Angela replied as she picked up the book she had been reading. She picked up where she left off in _Dracula_ and began reading out loud occasionally glancing at Sam who seemed determined to not let her win this round.

Dean did wake up to face his brother’s empty bed but he didn’t have a fit. Instead he went down the hall towards Angela’s room and managed to get the door open. He found Sam fast asleep in a chair with his head cushioned by the bed and was somewhat of a prop for the open book. Angela was still sitting up and she had her head down asleep and her left hand was near Sam’s head. Her fingers had been brushing his locks.

Dean grinned as he took out his cell phone to take a picture. It had been his plan to get them to talk about what happened. Talking in the morning was overrated and he knew that neither would feel better until they talked. He knew they did since Sam didn’t bother coming back after his shift. Things were okay and they just had to keep at it. They were going to need each other if they couldn’t save his neck from the deal.

Now that he had his blackmail material, Dean set about having fun at waking them up. He looked around. Maybe a sudden showing of light from the window? Maybe…


End file.
